Panthers 2023-24 Breakout Candidates: Anton Lundell

Lundell is entering his third year in the NHL and will be 22 when the season begins

As the 2023-24 NHL season draws closer, one of the things we’re going to do here at THN Florida is take a look at a few players who are breakout candidates.

These are younger guys who, for one reason or another, could be due for a strong year that would seemingly be a springboard for bigger and better things.

Today we’ll focus on one of the youngest players on Florida’s roster, Anton Lundell.

Selected 12th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Lundell will be entering his third season in the show.

He’ll be 22 in early October and the humble Finnish native is poised to take a step forward in his hockey maturation process.

Looking at his statistics and advanced metrics from seasons one and two, the numbers back up that forecast.

During his rookie year, Lundell was cut loose on a high-flying Panthers team that scored a ton of goals.

For a 20-year-old playing his first season in North America, Lundell looked quite comfortable, putting up 18 goals and 44 points despite playing just 15:44 per game and seeing little time on the power play.

Even at such a young age, he was hailed for his two-way game, as evidenced by his possession metrics both overall (he played a decent amount on the penalty kill) and at even strength.

Those numbers remained consistent during his sophomore season, even improving in some areas, as he joined the rest of the team in learning a new system from a different head coach.

Scoring, however, took a step back, both with Lundell and the team as a whole.

During the playoffs, as the Panthers made their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final, Lundell played some of his best hockey of the season, putting up 10 points in 21 postseason games after logging just 21 points during 73 regular season contests.

As his comfort level in Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice’s systems grew, his two-way game flourished.

Florida is fortunate to have the luxury of depth at the center position. That mean’s Lundell will more than likely line up in the middle of the Panthers third line when the upcoming season begins.

One of the reasons Florida should be a strong team in the Eastern Conference this year is the team’s forward depth, and Lundell is a big part of that.

If he continues to show improvement in the scoring department, he should start seeing more time on the second power play unit.

Still growing in both size and strength, Lundell’s game is expected to remain on this upward trajectory in a system that rewards the kind of hockey he’s best at.

That all could translate into a breakout season for the young Finn.