Lundestrom's year was derailed by an offseason Achilles injury which sidelined him for the better part of the first three months of the season. To his credit, Lundestrom appeared in all 46 games the rest of the way after returning. The offensive production was predictably ugly (five goals, 11 points), but Lundestrom has never been much of a scorer. Still just 24 years old, the Swede will almost certainly open the upcoming campaign as Anaheim's fourth-line center, a gig which provides zero fantasy value whatsoever.
Lundestrom enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2021-22 with 16 goals and 29 points in 80 contests, but his production crashed to four goals and 14 points in 61 outings last season. Part of that was his once great puck luck catching up to him, as illustrated by his shooting percentage dropping from 19.3 in 2021-22 to 6.7 last year. The 23-year-old also failed to carve out a significant role for himself, averaging just 14:20 of ice time while playing primarily on the third line with Jakob Silfverberg -- Lundestrom also averaged a mere 0:12 of ice time with the man advantage per contest. Lundestrom might be able to chip in more offensively than he did last year, but he's likely to only see mild gains given the center is stuck behind Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish on the depth chart.
Lundestrom was a regular in Anaheim's lineup a season ago, playing in 80 of the club's 82 regular-season games, finishing with 16 goals and 29 points. A first-round pick (23rd overall) in 2018, Lundestrom is a solid two-way player who displayed the ability to provide some secondary offense for the Ducks in 2021-22. Lundestrom's 19.3 shooting percentage from a year ago will almost certainly drop in 2022-23, but even a dozen goals would make him a useful player for Anaheim.
Lundestrom appeared in only 15 games for the Ducks last year, registering four assists. That was double his output in as many games from the year before. Still just 21 years old, Lundestrom is a prospect expected to contribute at the NHL level in the near future. He only had 21 points in 43 contests with AHL San Diego last year, so his scoring touch may not quite be at the level it needs to be. Expect Lundestrom to compete with Nicolas Deslauriers and Max Jones for a bottom-six job in training camp. If Lundestrom doesn't impress, he'll likely spend the upcoming season in the minors.
Lundestrom made the jump to North America in 2018-19 after posting 30 points in 108 games in the SHL over parts of four seasons. He managed a pair of assists in 15 games with the Ducks to open the campaign, and then joined AHL San Diego, where he contributed six helpers in 12 games. The 19-year-old forward will probably start the 2019-20 season in the minors, but could earn a call-up or two throughout the course of the year. Lundestrom is a name worth keeping an eye on, but he won't warrant fantasy consideration for at least one more season.
Lundestrom went to the Ducks with a 2018 first-round (23rd overall) draft pick. He was originally expected to start the 2018-19 season in his native Sweden, but those plans changed late in the preseason when Anaheim saw a slew of forwards sustain injuries. Known for his two-way chops, Lundestrom almost assuredly will start out in the bottom six, but he's already sneaking into consideration for fantasy owners involved in redraft leagues.
