Gustav Forsling’s rise to top defenseman with Panthers starts off the ice
Before Gustav Forsling could evolve into one of the NHL’s most consistent top-end defensemen while with the Florida Panthers, he first underwent a transformation off the ice.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, Forsling had a lot of time on his hands. With not much else to do, the Swedish NHL journeyman turned to prioritizing his fitness.
“I really had so much time off there,” Forsling said, “so I really got to focus on the off-ice stuff.”
Unsurprisingly, that commitment to his fitness has paid off in the long run.
A focus on heavy weightlifting in the offseason and maintaining body weight and recovery during the season — “We play so much that I can’t lift as heavy as I want to” during the season, Forsling said — has helped him bulk up from about 175 pounds to the 200-pound frame he carries today. He’s the ace student of Florida’s training camp fitness tests.
And in five-plus seasons with the Panthers, he has become a stalwart on the ice, too — a prime example for how to play nearly flawless defensive hockey on a nightly basis.
Forsling is set to play in his 500th career NHL game on Wednesday when the Panthers host the Philadelphia Flyers at Amerant Bank Arena (7 p.m., Scripps Sports). It’s a career that has been an uphill climb for the 29-year-old. He was a fifth-round pick by Vancouver in 2014, traded to Chicago months later, then traded to Carolina four years later after 122 games with the Blackhawks to ultimately be put on waivers by the Hurricanes before playing a game for them at the NHL level. Florida swooped in to claim him and his trajectory has been on the upswing ever since, including being a key piece to the Panthers winning consecutive Stanley Cups.
“That’s a guy that does the right thing every play, every shift,” said Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who partners with Forsling on Florida’s top defense pair.
Since joining the Panthers, Forsling has played 376 games, logging 175 points in the process (49 goals, 126 assists). He has a plus-minus rating of plus-171, meaning the Panthers have outscored opponents by 171 goals when he’s on the ice at even strength or when they score shorthanded. That’s the second-highest plus-minus rating in the NHL in that span behind only the Colorado Avalanche’s Devon Toews (plus-194).
He logged his 200th career point on Nov. 13 with a primary assist on Florida’s go-ahead goal in an eventual 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals.
His point total, though, is lower than it probably could be. He gets almost no time on power play — and that’s by design. The Panthers value his defensive work far more than they need production from him offensively even though he has skill to be a more offensive threat. He already plays an average of about 22 minutes per game. The Panthers don’t want to push too much beyond that and risk his long-term value to the team.
“He’s willing to sacrifice whatever you ask him to for the good of the team,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, “but just on sheer minutes alone, we can’t have him be as effective in the Final against the best players in the world if we run them all year.”
One look at Forsling, though, shows he can handle just about whatever responsibilities the Panthers throw at him.
His fitness level is envied among his teammates. Ekblad previously referred to Forsling’s physique as that of a “Swedish Greek god,” while also once quipping to the Miami Herald that Panthers players “keep their wives away from Gustav” because they have seen what he looks like without a shirt.
His commitment to his workout regiment and diet have him in the proper shape to execute at the highest levels on the ice.
Forsling has the ability to rip off some of the hardest shots in the league. He fired off one that clocked in at 105.05 mph last season — the second-hardest shot registered in a live game wince the NHL began using tracking technology in the 2021-22 season. Throughout his career, he has 124 total shots in regular season that have come off his stick with a velocity of at least 80 mph.
He glides down the ice with speed and precision. According to NHL Edge, Forsling has reached a maximum skating speed of 22.79 mph this season, which ranks in the 95th percentile of the league.
His attention to detail has him almost always in the right position to make a play. His instincts allow him to make plays on the puck.
And because of his fitness, he has the ability to grind out longer shifts if pinned in the defensive zone without losing a step as his ice time racks up. In Florida’s 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 10, for example, Forsling was on the ice for more than two-and-a-half minutes while the Panthers were on the penalty kill; Vegas had just two shots on goal that entire stretch.
“He works as hard as physically possible,” Ekblad said, “and I’m lucky to play every day with him and count my blessings for that. It’s a 200-foot game.”
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