Panthers’ Anton Lundell out day-to-day with upper-body injury

Another injury woe for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

When speaking to the media on Friday, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice revealed that forward Anton Lundell is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

While Maurice didn’t mention the extent of Lundell’s injury, he stated that he probably won’t be in the lineup for the Panthers’ final preseason game on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Fitting, because Lundell suffered the injury in the preseason Battle of Florida on Thursday night. The Finnish center registered just 8:40 of ice, posting a shot on goal and a hit before exiting the game, not returning for the third period.

It’s probably a safe decision to keep Lundell out of the final game prior to the regular season, especially since Florida and Tampa combined for a measly 186 penalty minutes on Thursday night. The Bolts came out on top with a 5-2 win.

The 24-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons in his young NHL career. Along with helping the Cats win a second straight Stanley Cup, Lundell set career highs in assists (28) and points (45), potting 17 goals in 79 games. He went on to add another six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in the playoffs.

With the injuries to Matthew Tkachuk and captain Aleksander Barkov, Lundell is projected to see a considerable jump in ice time, as he’s expected to play a bigger role on the team with so many key figures expected to miss an extended period of time.

Lundell is also entering the second season of his six-year contract that he signed with the Panthers in July 2024. The deal has a cap hit of $5 million through the 2029-30 campaign.

In 295 career regular-season games in the NHL, Lundell has scored 60 goals and 97 assists for 157 points. He’s also notched another 46 points in 77 postseason contests.