The Daily Faceoff Show: Is Panthers Anton Lundell the Calder Trophy favorite?

We’re just about a month into the 2021-22 season and the Florida Panthers are at the top of the NHL standings.

On Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Faceoff Show, Frank Seravalli and Mike McKenna gave some love to Panthers rookie Anton Lundell, who’s producing offense while also serving as one of the team’s most important defensive forwards.

Seravalli: “I wanted to give a little bit of love to rookie Anton Lundell of the Florida Panthers.

The start that he’s been off to with six points, three goals and three assists in his first eight games, has been impressive, but I wanted to take a look at these key stats that will make him one of the early favorites in the Calder Trophy race.

Shorthanded time-on-ice per game, three minutes and 15 seconds. He’s barely playing any power-play time and that’s number one in the NHL. Also, his defensive zone starts, 82 percent of them are starting in the defensive zone. His shifts are number eight among forwards, the shorthanded time on ice per game is number one among all forwards.

To get that kind of offensive production on the other side of the ice is pretty impressive for a 20-year-old.”

McKenna: “20 years old, 12th overall pick in 2020, he’s outperforming some of the players who were taken ahead of him in that draft class. I think his coming-out party was really the 2021 World Juniors when he played very well for Finland.

To me, Anton Lundell is the type of player who embodies Finnish hockey. The players come over, they’re ready for the North American style, and he’s had a great mentor in Sasha Barkov. He’s lived with Barkov to start the season, so he’s getting those minutes and those discussions at the house on how to fit in and I think that eases the transition for anybody coming over, but when you’re on as good of a team like the Florida Panthers, it gives you confidence.

He’s played second-line minutes, he’s played first-line minutes at times with Barkov out. And I look at the game against Carolina last week, the two teams that were undefeated going head-to-head, Anton Lundell played almost five minutes of that game on the penalty kill, had a goal, and led his team to the win.

That’s a lot on the plate for a 20-year-old. I think he’s definitely going to be in the Calder race this season, he’s just going to have to keep up with the points. We don’t give it out to defensive players that often, but he’s as well-rounded as they come.”