Panthers reach into kitty to sign Lundell and keep core intact

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Anton Lundell and the Florida Panthers have agreed to a six-year, $30 million contract, one ensuring that the Stanley Cup champions have all eight of their leading scorers from this past season back to defend the title.

Lundell was a restricted free agent. He had 13 goals and 22 assists in 78 games for the Panthers this past regular season, and his production was even better in the playoffs -- with 17 points in 24 games along the way to the Cup.

The last of those 17 playoff points was an assist to help set up Carter Verhaeghe 's opening goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, one where Florida topped Edmonton 2-1 to clinch the franchise's first title.

"Anton has matured into a dependable multirole center for our club, who seized his opportunity from his first day in North America," Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said. "His commitment to improvement and cerebral approach to the game earned him the profound respect of his teammates and coaches, and we are excited to see him continue to grow and succeed with the Panthers."

The 22-year-old Finnish center has spent three seasons with the Panthers since they took him with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 draft. He has 43 goals and 69 assists in 216 games.

He will carry a cap hit of $5 million under the new deal.

The Panthers now have even more of their core locked in for years to come, with Lundell, captain Aleksander Barkov , Matthew Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling all under contract through at least the 2029-30 season.