Forsling is 27 years old and entering the final season of a 3-year extension he signed with Florida
Forsling is 27 years old and entering the final season of a 3-year extension he signed with Florida
Over the past week here at THN Florida we've been touching on some Florida Panthers players who could be breakout candidates in the 2023-24 season.
These are younger guys who, for one reason or another, could be due for a strong year that would seemingly be a springboard for bigger and better things.
Next up on the list is a guy who could be leaned on a whole lot in the upcoming campaign, as he's already become an integral part of Florida's back line.
We're talking about defenseman Gustav Forsling.
The Panthers snagged Forsling off the waiver wire a few days before the start of the 2020-21 season.
It was clear from the start that Florida had found something in Forsling.
Even from his early days with the Panthers, Forsling was great handling the puck and didn't make mistakes in his own end, and the advanced metrics have backed that up.
In terms of scoring, Forsling's past two seasons have been similar, with him scoring 10 and 13 goals and finishing with 37 and 41 points, respectively.
The interesting thing between the two seasons, as we know what changed about the Panthers as a whole (going from a high-scoring, end-to-end team to a lock-down, hard-hitting, tight-checking squad), is that Forsling's plus minus was cut in half, from +41 to +19, and his penalty minutes more than doubled, from 18 to 40.
With both Forsling and the Panthers entering year two working in head coach Paul Maurice's systems, the comfort level will be that much higher.
Combine all that with Forsling likely seeing an increase in both minutes and situational need early next season as Florida is expected to be without one or both of Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour when Opening Night arrives.
Could Forsling see more power play time? It's very possible.
The 27-year-old blueliner has steadily improved during his time with the Panthers.
This season could bring even bigger and better things for Forsling, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
He could very well end up earning himself a nice payday. Forsling is currently playing on a 3-year, $8 million extension he signed with Florida in July of 2021.
Does Forsling have another gear to take his game to?
He’s going to get a chance to show us, so we’ll find out soon enough.