[FanIn80]

Forsling: The waiver wire that could.

Forsling continuing evolution into all-around threat for Panthers in East Final

Nothing seems to be holding Forsling back during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Known more for preventing opponents from scoring, the defenseman heads into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday with nine points (three goals, six assists) in 14 playoff games.

That's half of the point total of forward Matthew Tkachuk, who leads the Panthers with 18, but it's the most among Panthers defensemen and tied for fifth among NHL defensemen. That's impressive considering Forsling rarely plays on the power play -- he's averaged 18 seconds of power-play ice time during the postseason -- and doesn't have a power-play point.

Although the Panthers trail 2-1 in the best-of-7 series, Forsling has been doing his part. He assisted on Tkachuk's winning goal in a 3-0 victory in Game 1 and scored the tying goal in the third period of Game 3 before the Rangers rebounded to win 5-4 in overtime.

...

Maurice views Forsling's scoring as another sign of his confidence and growth from a player who struggled initially to find his footing in the NHL after being selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round (No. 126) of the 2014 NHL Draft.

Forsling never played for the Canucks, getting traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 29, 2015. He bounced between Chicago and Rockford of the American Hockey League for three seasons before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on June 25, 2019. Forsling spent the 2019-20 season with Charlotte in the AHL before Carolina placed him on waivers, and Florida claimed him Jan. 9, 2021.

https://www.nhl.com/news/gustav-fors...orida-panthers