Panthers sign Eetu Luostarinen to 3-year extension, a big move for Florida's long-term success

Luostarinen played in all 82 games for Florida last season, finishing with career highs in goals and assists

Eetu Luostarinen took a big step forward in his career last season.

The 24-year-old played in all 82 games for the Florida Panthers, finishing the season with career-highs in goals, with 17, and assists, with 26.

He also saw his role and responsibility with the team grow, whether it be with increasing minutes, filling in on top lines or becoming one of the Florida’s best and most reliable penalty killers.

On Tuesday, the Panthers rewarded Luostarinen with a three-year contract extension that will keep him with Florida through the 2026-27 season.

The deal is worth an average annual value (AAV) of $3 million, per PuckPedia.

It comes just over a year after General Manager Bill Zito and the Panthers signed Luostarinen to a two-year extension last July that was worth $3 million total. Just 382 days later, he earned a new, longer deal where his salary was doubled.

Clearly, the young Finnish forward is making an impression in South Florida.

“Eetu is a dynamic two-way center whose speed and strength allow him to excel on any line,” Zito said in a statement released by the team. “His consistency and dependability are a great asset to our forward group, and we are excited about what he can continue to bring to our lineup in the coming seasons.”

Luostarinen is the only player from the Vincent Trocheck trade to the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2020 Trade Deadline that has not moved on to another team.

He was originally selected in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Hurricanes, 42nd overall.

During his time with the Panthers, Luostarinen has steadily improved his play on both ends of the ice.

He proved to be instrumental for Florida as the team clawed its way into the postseason before marching all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, and he’s got the 5-on-5 advanced metrics to back that up.

To be fair, the numbers did dip a bit during the playoffs, which is likely due to facing deeper teams in tighter games, but it was the Panthers’ depth and ability to roll four lines while still coming at you that was a big reason for their late season success.

Luostarinen suffered a broken tibia in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final and did not play again, and his absence in Florida’s forward ranks was quite apparent during the five-game Final against Vegas.

With Luostarinen lost and that crucial depth compromised, the Golden Knights could smell blood in the water.

Looking ahead to next season, there are no shortage of options for the Panthers and Luostarinen.

He’s a natural centerman but looked just fine after being moved to the wing due to Florida’s depth down the middle. Luostarinen may have been the Panthers fourth-best center, but he’s far from a fourth line player.

He skated on the wing of Anton Lundell, one of his closest friends away from the rink, with Sam Reinhart on the right side for much of the postseason.

They ultimately proved to be one of the more formidable third line pairings during last season’s playoffs, right up until Luostarinen’s injury.

Where Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice has Luostarinen lined up during training camp will be something to keep an eye on.

One thing that isn’t unreasonable to consider is that should Eetu continue to improve as he enters what should be the prime years of his career, how high does he rise in Florida’s forward ranks?

Regardless of whether he ends up on the second line or perhaps the first, or even if he stays right where he is, the Panthers will be that much stronger, and just as importantly, that much deeper.

As we’ve learned over the past couple seasons, it’s not only about collecting talent. When push comes to shove, and there are only talented teams remaining, it’s the deepest groups that endure.

Having Luostarinen locked up for the next four years at an extremely reasonable cap hit is exactly the kind of moves Zito will need to make if he wants to build a team that will remain equally talented and deep for an extended period of time.