It’s been a week of celebration for Captain Sasha Barkov and Anton Lundell. After a fantastic showing in the group stages, they helped lead Team Finland to World Championship gold. 60 minutes of regulation weren’t enough against host Switzerland; the 0-0 match was decided in overtime. Konsta Helenius was the OT hero for the Finns, with Anton Lundell getting the primary assist. Barkov was stellar in the faceoff dot, going 11-6 for a 64.71 FO%, although he only had one SOG. Sasha had the third-most TOI among the forwards at 22:20, and overall, he had a great defensive game, which isn’t surprising. For the tournament, Barkov led Finland with 11 points (3G, 8A). He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat despite missing the entire NHL season, which is great news for Cats fans heading into the fall. Before the tournament, Lundell had joked that he needed to make sure Barkov still knew how to play hockey. I think it’s safe to say he does, and it’s been a treat to get to watch him do what he does best after so much time rehabbing. Although it’s not a third Stanley Cup, it is the third straight spring/summer that Barkov has captained his team to a championship title. He became just the second NHL captain ever to lead his respective teams to a Stanley Cup and a World Championship gold; the other is Sydney Crosby.

Anton Lundell has now added another accolade to an already impressive resume. Since joining the NHL for the 2021-2022 season, he’s been on teams that have won 1 President’s Trophy, 3 Prince of Wales trophies, 1 Olympic Bronze medal, 2 Stanley Cups, and now a World Championship gold. At just 24 years old, I’d say it’s more likely than not that he’ll join the triple gold club before his career is over. He showed a big amount of growth this season with Barkov out of the Panthers’ lineup, and was trusted with second-line center duties for Finland. He recorded 7 pts in 10 games (4G, 3A), including a primary assist on the golden goal. During the NHL season, HC Paul Maurice called Lundell a future captain of the Florida Panthers, and if that doesn’t tell you how high they think his ceiling is, I don’t know what will. During the final match against the Swiss, he had a tough day in dot, going 2-3 for a 40.00 FO%, but he was second on the team in TOI at 22:52; the only player who logged more time was Mikael Granlund. Both Lundell and Barkov spent the week in Finland celebrating. They were welcomed back with a Finnish Air Force escort, a water salute at the airport, and a crowd of over 70,000 people in Helsinki at the celebrations.

Matthew Tkachuk had a strong showing in his 5 games, where he put up 7 pts (4G, 3A). Sandis Vilmanis had an excellent tournament, posting 11 pts (4G, 7A) while he played on Latvia’s top line. A performance that the Panthers’ front office will have taken note of, he’s made a very strong case to make Florida’s roster in the fall. And with rumors of A.J. Greer looking to test the free agent market, it’s seeming more likely that he’ll be a Panther full-time next season. Now, personally, with the news breaking that Dylan Larkin has requested a trade out of Detroit, I wouldn’t put much stock into rumors about Florida being a potential destination. Not that Larkin couldn’t be a fit, but the Panthers simply don’t need that kind of center depth at the moment with Barkov, Bennett, and Lundell all locked up. Larkin’s cap hit is also too high for the Panthers right now, so any trade would have to involve sending some significant money back the other way. The Cats are more in need of goaltending, with contract negotiations being ongoing with Sergei Bobrovsky. Overall, it’s been an exciting week for the World Champions as the Panthers get ready for the NHL Draft.

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