With the Utah Hockey Club and the Toronto Maple Leafs set to face off against each other on Monday night, it means that former teammates will be at odds with each other. There’s obviously the Arizona connection with Max Domi and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Utah for the first time. However, one that’s being overlooked is the Florida Panthers connection.
Last season, Kevin Stenlund played on the Panthers with Ekman-Larsson, Steven Lorentz, and Anthony Stolarz. The group went on a long battle to eventually win the Stanley Cup in Game 7 of the Final. While the Maple Leafs hosted Utah back in November, it’ll be the first time one of the most historic franchises in the league visits Salt Lake City, and Ekman-Larsson and Lorentz couldn’t be more excited to face off against Stenlund.
Stenlund Was a Key Contributor to Cup Run
In the Panthers’ run to the Cup, Stenlund wasn’t one of the team’s main contributors offensively, only scoring one point in 24 playoff games. However, he provided something else that many Utah fans know him for: winning faceoffs and being an effective two-way player and penalty killer.
Lorentz knows how critical Stenlund’s role was during the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup, despite playing a bottom-six role. He also knows that not only is he defensively gifted, but he sneakily has some great moves as well.
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“He was a four C lock all season,” Lorentz said. “A big righty that’s strong, can take faceoffs, and he’s got some undercover really good mitts. He can make really good plays and he showed that off. He wasn’t super flashy all year, but then he’d make a flashy play. It was like, oh, okay, this guy’s capable of doing it. He understood his role, and he played into it. Great penalty killer, great stick.”
Stenlund has provided exactly that for Utah this season. Although he hasn’t scored a lot, he’s made a lot of great plays, especially defensively. He’s also one of the best players in the faceoff circle in the league. Head coach André Tourigny has been known to put Stenlund out for a faceoff to open overtime periods or at critical points during games where Utah desperately needs a win in the circle.
An Incredible Teammate
While Stenlund only played one season with the Panthers, he became friends for life with a lot of his teammates. Winning the Stanley Cup was certainly a big part of that, but his overall personality made him a well-liked teammate. Lorentz certainly misses having him around, and he knows Ekman-Larsson and Stolarz do as well.
“He’s just the nicest guy in the world, great teammate,” Lorentz said. “He’s a huge part of our team last year, and everybody loved him. I miss him. We were with Stoli and OEL as well, so those guys miss him as well. He’s just a great teammate, salt of the earth guy. He’s a little quieter, but he’s always in a good mood. He seems to be always smiling.”
Stenlund got to take Ekman-Larsson and Lorentz to dinner on Sunday night after the Maple Leafs landed in Salt Lake City earlier that day. It seems like they got to catch up and have a good time, which they haven’t managed to do since the three of them played with the Panthers. Ekman-Larsson had a good time, but he’s even more excited to play against Stenlund on Monday.
“I saw Steny last night, who I played with in Florida, and talked to a few guys,” Ekman-Larsson said. “It’s gonna be fun to play against them here tonight.”
Kevin Stenlund of the Utah Hockey Club hits Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
It’ll be fun to see the four former Panthers play each other as Utah is desperate for points as they battle for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, and the Maple Leafs are trying to catch up to the Panthers for the Atlantic Division lead. The two points are needed for both teams, especially with only 19 games remaining in Utah’s season.
Despite being enemies now, Lorentz knows Utah has a gem in Stenlund. He’s happy that he’s found a home in Utah with a two-year contract, meaning Stenlund will stay with the same NHL team for the first time in his career. At the end of the day, Lorentz has nothing but the utmost respect for his former teammate and will always say the nicest things about him.
“I can’t say enough good things about his game,” Lorentz said. “He got a nice little contract here, and they have a great pickup in him.”
A loss could potentially set Utah further back in the playoff race, meaning they’ll need someone like Stenlund to play his best defensive game against a highly talented Maple Leafs team. It’ll be tough to defend against players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but it’s why the Panthers put him in the lineup throughout the whole playoffs and why he’s respected by all his former teammates even now on a new team in Utah.
