Gustav Forsling Trade Only One Of Stan Bowman's Blackhawks Blunders

Former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman wasn't the only NHL GM to mess up on Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling. 

But then, Bowman generally messed up player personnel management.

Forsling and Edmonton's Evan Bouchard probably rate as the top two D-men still skating as we move into the transcon 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and Oilers. With four goals, seven assists and a plus-11 rating in 17 playoff games, the 27-year-old Forsling has been a rock on the Florida blue line, along with fellow defensemen Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad. All three are averaging about 23 minutes of ice time per contest.

The chiseled 6-foot, 195-pound Forsling already had been rewarded for his steady work. A league-best plus-56 with 10 goals and 29 assists in the 2023-24 regular season, he signed an eight-year contract extension that has a $5.75 million annual salary in March.

Florida GM Bill Zito finally got Forsling right, after plucking the sturdy Swede off waivers from Carolina on Jan. 9, 2021 before the pandemic-shortened season. With a chance, Forsling took off as a Panther once the 2020-21 NHL campaign finally started in empty arenas. 

Zito said Forsling's "career is an example of how far hard work and total commitment to improvement can take a person."

That brings us to how Forsling got to Carolina from the Blackhawks.

Good Move, Bad Move, Bowman Move

The Notre Dame-groomed Bowman traded Forsling to the Hurricanes with goalie Anton Forsberg for veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan and forward Aleksi Saarela in June 2019. 

Forsberg is now with Ottawa. The 33-year-old de Haan is a UFA after one so-so season with Tampa Bay. Saarela has been back in Finland since 2020.

But the Hurricanes and coach Rod Brind'Amour and former GM Don Waddell loused up too. Forsling never even played a game with Carolina in 2019-20, skating instead with the AHL Charlotte Checkers before COVID hit in March 2020. 

Bowman actually made a smart trade to get Forsling in the first place, picking him up from Vancouver for forward Adam Clendening on Jan. 29, 2015. Forsling, from Linköping in central Sweden, was drafted by the Canucks in the fifth round, 124th overall, in 2014. He was tabbed as a possible late-bloomer.

But the Blackhawks and then-coach Joel Quenneville didn't show great confidence in Forsling, shuttling him between Chicago and AHL Rockford for three seasons. The defenseman also battled some injuries at the time.

Just Another Bowman Botch

But still, it boiled down to another botch for Bowman The Blackhawks caught a break when he resigned as general manager in October 2021 in the wake of full report on the Brad Aldrich sexual assault scandal from 2010.

Bowman did nothing dynamic after becoming the Blackhawks general manager on July 4, 2009 to cap a front-office power play. He did make a lot of useless, sputtering and even lousy moves. For instance, draft or sign someone solid, then trade him. Artemi Panarin and Brandon Saad top the list. See https://www.capfriendly.com/trades/staff/stan-bowman

Bowman was boosted into the Blackhawks GM role by his father, Hall-Of-Fame coach and GM Scotty Bowman who had become an advisor to the Blackhawks. Scotty Bowman had the ear of late-owner Rocky Wirtz and was backed by dismissed and disgraced team president John McDonough. McDonough, who tried to manage and cover up video coach Aldrich's assault of "Black Aces" minor leaguers in 2010, was fired by the Wirtzes in March 2020.

When Stan Bowman was named Chicago's GM, out went Dale Tallon, who along with his staff had drafted or traded for just about every key player of the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup sequence of 2010, 2013 and 2015.  

Tallon had started as Chicago's director of player personnel in 1998, climbed to assistant GM in 2002, then full GM in 2005. 

Patrick Kane (2007), Jonathan Toews (2006), Duncan Keith (2002), Brent Seabrook (2003) Corey Crawford (2003),Niklas Hjalmarsson (2005), Bryan Bickell (2004), Troy Brouwer (2004), Dustin Byfuglien (2003) and Dave Bolland (2004) were all drafted with Tallon involved. His group also oversaw trades for Patrick Sharp (2005), Kris Versteeg (2007), Andrew Ladd (2008) and the big free agent signing of Marian Hossa (2009) days before Bowman took over.

Tallon was superb on talent assessment and scouting. But minding the increased paperwork and details in a salary cap era wasn't his strength. The former NHL defenseman preferred a rink and golf course to an office.

Bowman was an accountant and numbers manager. But when it came to acquiring talent — either via the draft, trades of free agency — he often stunk.

At least Bowman wasn't alone in the Forsling stinker.