Gus Forsling has trust of Panthers coaches, ready for bigger role amid defensive injuries

Entering the final season of his 3-year deal, Forsling says he would like to stay in South Florida

Gustav Forsling has been as steady as they come since joining the Florida Panthers less than three years ago.

A waiver claim less than a week before the start of the 2020-21 NHL season, Forsling arrived in South Florida with little fanfare and attention.

He'd bounced between the NHL and AHL in the years since he was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks, eventually finding a home with the Panthers after GM Bill Zito plucked him off the waiver wire in January of 2021.

Over the course of three seasons with Florida, Forsling has grown into a steady and dependable defenseman with strong offensive upside.

His work ethic has become legendary among his teammates and coaches, as he's always among the top scoring Panthers when it comes to team fitness testing.

"Just preparing to play those big minutes," Forsling said when asked about his offseason training regimen. "I work extremely hard during the summer to make sure I'm in good physical shape to play those minutes."

Forsling's average time on ice has increased year over year with Florida, jumping up over two minutes to 23:26 last season.

He could see another bump in ice time this season, at least in the early stages, due to the Panthers expectation that both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour will miss around a month of the regular season as they continue recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

The potential increase in usage and responsibility for Forsling is something that Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice and his coaching staff have zero issues with.

"Completely," Maurice said when asked about his trust level in Forsling. "We'll start with the consistency of it, because his game doesn't change a whole heck of a lot. Gus is one of those guys that I probably talk to five times a year, right? 'How you doing?' Because his game is right, he looks right, he enjoys it, he's so effective defensively and we think each year he's been able to add a little bit offense to the game, get up the ice a little bit more."

Another element of Forsling's game that ties into the reliance Maurice has in the young rearguard is his hockey IQ.

Florida has several highly skilled offensive defensemen that will jump up in play and join a rush at a moment's notice.

While Forsling also has that ability, he has developed a good gauge of knowing how to pick his spots.

"He has a good balance of when not to go," Maurice said. "There really isn't a whole lot he can't do."

That's the truth.

Forsling will see plenty of ice time 5-on-5 but he's also a key member of Florida's penalty killing unit and plays the point on the second power play group.

There was some thought that Forsling would get bumped up to PP1, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Maurice and assistant coach Jamie Kompon, who runs Florida's power play, have gone back to using four forwards on the first power play unit. This after sending out both Ekblad and Montour on the top power play in the later stages of last season.

Offseason acquisition Oliver Ekman-Larsson appears to be getting the first crack at manning the point on PP1, with Forsling being utilized on the second unit.

The man who may be in the best shape of anyone on the team said he's looking forward to the opportunity and is glad to have the trust of the coaching staff to play in any situation.

"I feel good and I feel comfortable," Forsling said. "I played a little bit of power play last year, so there's no problem with that. I'm excited to get out there."

The 27-year-old is entering his fourth season with the Panthers. It's also the final year of the $8 million deal he signed prior to the 2021-22 season.

Forsling wants to stay in South Florida. He's very much settled in, living with his new bride Daniela – they were married in July – at their home in Fort Lauderdale that's "not by the beach, but we're pretty close," as Forsling puts it.

"Coming back here with my wife, and my family comes a lot more to visit because of the sun and everything, it feels like home," he said.

Forsling has come a long way since being a preseason waiver claim.

Zito saw something in the young Swede, and Forsling has rewarded that faith tenfold.

Neither want this to be Forsling's final season in Sunrise. Time will tell how it all plays out.

"I'm trying to take it day-to-day here, but that's something I really want. I want to stay here," Forsling said. "I feel like we've got something really good going with the core group here and I'm just really excited."

One thing that seems to be certain is that Forsling's number is going to be called quite often when the Panthers season begins next week.

Nobody is happier about that than Forsling.

"I played a lot of minutes last year," he said. "I think I'm ready physically and mentally to do that again."