The Florida Panthers back to back Stanley Cup Championships featured a defenseman in his 20s, averaging over 23 minutes a night in a big-time shut-down role.
Since joining the Panthers at the age of 24, this defender has quickly become a critical part of their defensive game, even earning a few Norris Trophy votes in the last few years. The defender in question just so happens to be a former Blackhawk.
Gustav Forsling has made a name for himself in the NHL after leaving the Blackhawks.
The Chicago Blackhawks traded for the rights of Gustav Forsling in exchange for Adam Clendening in January 2015 in a deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Forsling, who was drafted in the fifth round by Vancouver in 2014, would make his NHL debut with Chicago during the 2016-17 NHL Season, playing in 38 games at the age of 20.
Forsling would spend the next three years in Chicago, each year playing around half of the season. His best year came in 2017-18 when he averaged over 19 minutes a night and registered 13 points.
Forsling would play his entire entry-level contract with the Blackhawks, and at the end of the 2018-19 season, Chicago opted to trade his signing rights to the Carolina Hurricanes along with Anton Forsberg in exchange for Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela.
Landing de Haan was big for the Blackhawks, but then general manager Stan Bowman might not have realized just how much of an asset he had given up in Forsling.
Forsling would end up never playing a game for the Hurricanes. He spent the entire 2019-20 NHL Season in the AHL and was subsequently placed on waivers during the offseason ahead of the shortened 2020-21 NHL Season.
The Panthers would end up claiming Forsling off of waivers, reuniting him with his former Blackhawks coach in Joel Quenneville. It didn't take long for him to take on a top-four role with the Panthers. Forsling averaged 19:57 minutes of ice time a night during the 2020-21 NHL Season.
When head coach Paul Maurice joined the team, Forsling quickly became a top-pairing defenseman along with Aaron Ekblad.
If the Blackhawks had a time machine, I am sure they would go back and hang on to Forsling. It's one of those trades that should haunt the team, as they gave up a young player, believing he didn't have much left to show.
Forsling has gone on to win back to back Stanley Cups, and with the Panthers being as deep a team as they are, he very well could win his third championship this upcoming season.
