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Florida Panthers ink Eetu Luostarinen to a new two-year contract

Florida Panthers have re-signed forward Eetu Luostarinen to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.5 million according to CapFriendly.

Luostarinen, 23, registered career highs in goals (9), assists (17), points (26) and games played (78) with Florida in 2021-22, ranking third among Panthers forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (1:53). Over 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season, Luostarinen produced his first two NHL playoff points (1-1-2).

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound native of Siilinjarvi, Finland has skated in 130 NHL games with Florida (2020-21 to 2021-22) and the Carolina Hurricanes (2019-20), logging 35 points (12-23-35).

Prior to his North American career, Luostarinen won the Spengler Cup in 2018-19 with KalPa in Liiga, posting 36 points (15-21-36) in 54 regular season games. He played in parts of four seasons with the organization (2016-17 to 2018-19, 2020-21), amassing 78 points (29-49-78) over 158 games, and earned a Liiga silver medal in 2016-17.

On the international stage, Luostarinen won a gold medal with Finland at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.

Originally selected by Carolina in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Luostarinen was acquired from the Hurricanes with defenseman Chase Priskie, forward Erik Haula and forward Lucas Wallmark in exchange for forward Vincent Trocheck on Feb. 24, 2020.

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