Panthers lock up Lundell with six-year extension

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 centre 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 centre 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.

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.

Also Wednesday, the Panthers finalized a one-year deal with defenceman Nate Schmidt. The 32-year-old veteran has played with four other NHL clubs, most recently Winnipeg — where he spent some time playing for Florida coach Paul Maurice.

“Nate is a veteran puck-moving defenceman who we expect to seamlessly integrate with our style of play,” Zito said. “We are excited to welcome him to our club in 2024-25.”