How Gustav Forsling has gone from role player to Panthers’ top defenseman with Ekblad out
Gustav Forsling was always going to have a big role for the Florida Panthers this season. The 26-year-old defenseman was tasked with joining Aaron Ekblad on the team’s top defensive pairing, a role that came with increased responsibilities and grander opportunities to showcase his talents.
“As a player,” Forsling said, “you always dream about getting there.”
His role has gotten even bigger recently.
The Panthers are without Ekblad for the foreseeable future after they placed him on long-term injured reserve Wednesday after he suffered a groin injury in their loss to the Boston Bruins on Oct. 17.
Forsling is now the Panthers’ de-facto No. 1 defenseman out of necessity.
But his ascension over his two-plus seasons so far with the Panthers has granted him the opportunity.
His steadiness early this season even with a large uptick in ice time has stabilized the Panthers’ defense core and has helped the team to a 4-1-1 start.
Florida now plays six of its next seven games are on the road, starting with road games this week against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday and Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday before a quick home game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
The team will be without Ekblad for the entirety of that stretch at the minimum, with Ekblad’s earliest possible return being Nov. 12 when Florida hosts the Edmonton Oilers.
Is he ready for that role?
“100 percent,” said fellow defenseman Radko Gudas, who was paired with Forsling most of last season. “Have you guys seen him? He’s ready. He’s done everything he possibly can. He shows up every year better. Better in camp. Better in the season. He’s just going in the right direction in all areas of the game.
“He’s deserves every minute of it.”
The Panthers took a flier on Forsling ahead of the 2021 season, claiming him off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks during training camp. He set career highs that season with five goals and 12 assists.
One year later, his game jumped to yet another level. In 71 games last season, Forsling scored 10 goals and tallied 27 assists, blocked 86 shots and forced 51 takeaways. He found himself on the top defensive pairing with MacKenzie Weegar down the stretch of the regular season when Ekblad had a knee injury.
“It seems like every year, his role keeps growing and growing. He keeps taking on more and excelling,” general manager Bill Zito said. “Now, he’s going to get even more ice time and more responsibility. ... His personality, he’s kind of an understated guy but when it’s time to play, he shows up, and he just keeps getting better and better. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was real happy for him. It’s great. We need it.”
And he has shown he is capable.
Entering Monday, Forsling has played an average of 24:34 per game this season, the 11th-highest mark in the NHL. That’s more than three minutes per game on average more than he played last season (21:13).
He has scored a goal and logged four assists, all at even strength. Those five points are more than any of the 10 above him in average ice time and are tied for second on Florida’s roster with forwards Eetu Luostarinen and Colin White and behind only Matthew Tkachuk’s seven.
His 20 shots on goal rank second on the team, again trailing only Tkachuk (29).
And when Forsling is on ice at full strength, the Panthers have outscored opponents 7-3 and had a 71-42 edge in scoring chances.
“His puck handling. His understanding of the game in certain situations. His movement. I’ve seen him the last three years and he’s just been taking big steps with how good he is and his plays with the puck,” Gudas said. “It feels like everything that’s been thrown at him, he’s handled with nothing but excellence. He’s getting rewarded for it.”
During training camp, first-year Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Forsling is “as good as any other skater out there” with his combination of physical skills and intangibles.
“We would look at the style of game that we are trying to implement here from a defensive point of view and when you watch him play, you could say that guy will be fantastic at it,” Maurice said, “and the [only] other guy would be Ekblad. The guys that can move and can gap and skate as well as those two men skate should flourish in [our system]. He has.”
The Panthers’ main goal with Forsling right now is keeping him healthy, especially considering how thin the Panthers are on the blue line. That’s why Forsling has had limited practice reps since the season started and generally has not participated in morning skates ahead of games.
“What helps with Gustav is he’s such a fit man,” Maurice said. “In order to get as fit as he is, you have to be really dialed into your body and you’re really dialed into your prep, so he can take the time off in between games and his legs have been good. He’s feeling stronger each game, so he’s a good one to be able to rest a bit.”
All together, that puts Forsling in the best position to help the Panthers in the big moments — an opportunity he isn’t taking for granted.
“It gives you a lot of confidence, for sure,” Forsling said. “You want to be that guy that the coach can trust and always put you in whenever we need it. It’s been good. I really enjoy it.”
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