Anton Lundell signed a six-year contract with Florida Panthers on Wednesday. Financial terms were not released.
The 22-year-old forward, who was a restricted free agent, had 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 78 regular-season games for the Panthers last season and 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Panthers win the Cup.
In the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Lundell led the Panthers with five assists, and his five points tied for second on the team behind Evan Rodrigues (seven points).
"Anton has matured into a dependable multirole center for our club, who seized his opportunity from his first day in North America," Panthers 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."
Selected by Florida in the first round (No. 12) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Lundell has 112 points (43 goals, 69 assists) in 216 regular-season games and 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) in 54 playoff games.
Also Wednesday, the Panthers signed defenseman Nate Schmidt to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not released.
The 32-year-old defenseman became an unrestricted free agent July 1 after the Winnipeg Jets bought out the final season of his contract. He signed a six-year, $35.7 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 25, 2018, an average annual value of $5.95 million, and has been traded twice since then.
Schmidt had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 63 regular-season games for the Jets last season and one goal in three Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"Nate is a veteran puck-moving defenseman 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.”
Signed by the Washington Capitals as an undrafted free agent on June 21, 2017, Schmidt has 220 points (47 goals, 173 assists) in 661 regular-season games for the Jets, Vancouver Canucks, Golden Knights and Capitals and 28 points (seven goals, 21 assists) in 76 playoff games.
On Monday, the first day of NHL free agency, the Panthers re-signed forward Sam Reinhart to an eight-year contract and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to a four-year contract, and added three depth forwards by signing Tomas Nosek to a one-year contract, A.J. Greer to a two-year contract, and Jesper Boqvist to a one-year contract. Goalie Chris Driedger signed a one-year contract.
