The Panthers have found their SECRET WEAPONS...

The Florida Panthers have found their secret weapons in Anton Lundell and Itulis Gerainen. No, they might not play in the first or second line, but they are two of the most underspoken players in the league and on the team because they've been playing in the shadows underneath those top two lines for the better part of a half a decade. All right guys, this is Panthers Digest. I'm your host Greg Andrews. We're going to be discussing why both of these players are primed for career years, breakout years. We're going to take a look at it right now. Guys, comment, like, share, subscribe, hype of the video. I appreciate all of you guys supporting me, supporting the Florida Panthers and their players on their roster. Really, this is just going to be such an exciting season. We're less than a month away from opening night in the NHL and a big game for the Cats going up against the Carolina Hurricanes will be raising their championship banner. Hopefully we can spoil the party. But anyways, this episode is not talking about that. It's not talking about who are we playing this year. We're talking about the talent on this third line more. So let's try it. And Lundell, obviously Brad Marchand, we already know he had his off season surgery. He probably will be missing several games, so we will not see him on that third line. But the question is going to be who will be there to replace him. But we're going to be focusing on just the two finish players right now. We already know what our top two lines look like. I think we have the best three lines in the entire NHL in terms of depth. Every single name that you see on there is a guy who plays two way, plays the two way game phenomenally. They can all score. They can all assist. They play great defense. I mean, they do it all on the ice and none better than Alexander Barkov. We all know that. But Anton Lundell and Ito Lusterainen, I think, have been very underspoken as players, but there's a reason why Bill Zito has said to every organization when we were trying to make a trade, we are not chipping out Lundell. We're not getting Lusterainen. So what they did instead was this. Lusterainen got his extension, excuse me, got his extension and Anton Lundell remains a Florida Panther. Yes, I do know that in time we're going to have to pay him some pretty decent money, but for now, these two guys are going to have career years. With Brad Marchand there and he's going to be back, let's hope sooner than 10 games into the regular season, they're going to be great. They had the opportunity to play more last season due to the injury bug hitting us. We saw Anton Lundell almost got into one of those career years, but he was limited because there were injuries and then everything else that happened. Well, his injuries, everything happened to everybody else. He did have more responsibility, got more time on ice, didn't play as many games as I think everyone had hoped would have happened, but he came very, very close to having some career numbers. Had he played an entire season, let's say 80 games, he definitely would have had a career year last year, but he didn't get there. I think this year will be one of those years because you put our third line against any other third line, we are better. Give me a better third line out there guys, because our third line, Lusterainen, Lundell, and Marchand could actually be the first line on several different teams in the NHL. They'd be happy to have that line, but let's take a look at their numbers from the postseason in 2025 because that's where I really want us to start. These were the numbers for the three guys on the third line. 21 goals, 36 assists, a plus 47 plus minus for that postseason winning the second of back-to-back Stanley Cups. Unreal numbers for third line. Just great. I would tell you this, if we, one of those guys was missing in those playoffs, I think, I'm not going to say we would have lost the Stanley Cup, but it would have been a hell of a lot more competitive heading into that last game, or the sixth game, and possibly seventh game. But these guys, I know Lundell and Lusterainen are primed for big time years. So let's take a look at Lusterainen first, and yes, his numbers might not jump off the page of you. He was drafted by Carolina, you can see there in 2017, 42nd overall. We traded for him from Carolina, that's how Trocek left, and we got Lusterainen. He has been great since we've gotten him. He plays the two-way game phenomenally. Once again, I go back to Barkov, who is the best two-way player in the world, teaching these guys. He has taught every single person on this team how to play the two-way game. Everyone on this team can score, they can assist, they can play defense. We all know that. They all technically do it all, but none better than Alexander Barkov. So, numbers might not jump off the page, 11 and 22, plus four during the regular season, but he has had a growth in his numbers over the years. Steady the last two seasons, obviously played, missed a couple of games last year, and I think he probably would have put up not the best numbers of his career, but close to it. You can see in 2023, 2024, excuse me, 2022, 2023, he had 43 points in the season with 17 and 26, but I think he could have done better, and I think he's going to do a lot better this year. He had that terrible barbecue accident last year, and that took him away for some time, but hey, he's going to come back, and I know he's going to be hungry, and with that third line being intact when Marchand comes around, my goodness, it's going to be scary. Let's take a look at his post-season numbers. They were great. Look at the difference from 2023, 2024, to 2024, 2025. With one extra game being played in the first Stanley Cup run, but look at the improvement in his numbers. He went from two and six to five and 14 on the post-season. Clearly, he's getting better. His time on ice is not overly pushed. He makes the numbers count when his number is called. Decent face-off win percentage, too, in the post-season, except for that 24-25 run at 30%, but the previous three seasons, above 50%. That's what you're looking for. Now, let's take a look at Anton Lundell. Again, I think he's primed for a breakout season, a looser run-in, because he has gotten better over the years. I think his hockey IQ is so high. He just needed that additional boost. He needed that little bit of push, and I think he's gotten it. I think he's gotten to the point where he's understanding the game better, and he knows that it's not really about putting up the goals and the assists. It's his defensive prowess that has really helped us get it done. And we look at Anton Lundell. Numbers are better than looser run-in. Obviously, different roles. Yes, 100%. 18 and 26 last year in just 64 games. He was close to getting two career numbers, but when you don't play 82 games, or let's say 76 to 82 games, let's call it if you played an extra 12 games, 100%, you would have had a career year. There's no doubt about it, but those were his numbers last year. A lot of responsibility. Dealt with some injuries. The team was just all over the place, so these are his regular season numbers over the years since he was drafted by the Florida Panthers, way back when. But you can see here, since he has come onto this team, he has been very steady with his points. Not a 20-goal scorer yet, but I think this the year. I'm going to say 25 goals on the season, and I'm going to say 35 assists. He's due. I don't think we've seen the full potential of Anton Lundell, and I think playing this past spring and over the summer, working with Barkov, honing his craft, learning from Alexander Barkov, that's the reason why I'm calling Anton Lundell baby Barkov, because he's going to get there. You can see his face-off win percentage is actually very good. 50.7% on the regular season. He's had three great years. 54.9% in the 23-24 campaign the following year. 53% than 51.8% last year. Obviously, a lot more face-offs last year than he's done in previous seasons because of the role that he took with all the injuries. Let's take a look at his post-season numbers. They are great. Very, very consistent. They've gone up over the years. Obviously, you can see right there, just read. One extra game in that 2024 Stanley Cup run that was played. Better year the following year. Plus 19. That's nuts in the 2024-25 campaign. Just ridiculous. Good in the face-off circle at 49.2% in his career. He's got to be due. No one can look at these numbers, look at that line. What did they do in the post-season? Even what he did last year with the shell of a team as we got into the latter part of the season, even though he did miss some time. Same thing with Lisserine, he missed some time. Not nearly as much as Lundell did, but I'm saying he's going to be prime. Both these guys have to do better this year. They are due. Even without Marchand, I think they still could put up some solid numbers to start. Those two with whoever they decide to put in there and fill Marchand's spot, if it's Vilmanis, if it is trying Patrick Liney out and giving it a shot, I still think that third line is the most dangerous line in the league with those two Finnish players right next to each other. They've played together since Anton Lundell was a rookie back in that 2021-2022 season. Going to his sixth year for Anton Lundell, going to his seventh for Lisserine. This is awesome. And I love talking about Finnish players. All the fans out there, all the Finnish fans, you guys know I love talking about the Finnish players. Barkov, Lisserine, Lundell, and what if you do have Liney on that third line? A completely Finnish line that would be incredible. We should just call them the Finnish line. Yeah, did I try to be funny? That was terrible, sorry guys. But anyways, that would be incredible if we did see it. I think worth taking a risk at it if we end up putting Brad Marchand on LTIR. The problem is going to be when he comes back, what are you going to do? But I think taking a risk, give it a shot, see what happens there. Maybe we find someone else. But right now, the focus is on Lundell, Lisserine. Tell me what you guys think. Do you think they are ready for a breakout season, career years for both guys? Because I think they're going to have to do a little bit more this season than they've done in the past in terms of not because the top two lines aren't going to be able to get it done. No, no, no. I just think that they want to show that they can dominate, that they can show whenever they're on the ice, the other team better have that second or first line on there because they're just going to dominate the other team's third line. And I can see that happening consistently throughout the season, especially when they make the playoffs, because that's going to happen. Anyways, that's it guys. Comment down below. Let me know what you think about Lisserine and Lundell. Are they primed for a breakout season? Let me know guys. That's it. Gotta run. Go Cats!