Gustav Forsling Shines For Florida Panthers Despite Change in Defensive Partners

With Aaron Ekblad out of the lineup serving two separate suspensions to start the playoffs, Gustav Forsling has learned to shine both with and without him.

For the past three years, Gustav Forsling has quietly anchored one of the NHL’s most effective defense pairings. But with Aaron Ekblad serving two separate suspensions spanning 22 of the Florida Panthers’ past 24 games, he has shined with or without him.

Florida leaned on Forsling heavily to kick off the 2025 postseason, with the 28-year-old defenseman logging 23:29 of time-on-ice per game in their five-game series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, only trailing current defense partner Seth Jones (25:41) for the team lead.

No matter who it was since Ekblad began the first of his two suspensions on March 10, Forsling’s game stayed the same. He played the same sturdy defense with keen keep control, and he has gelled with whoever he has played with.

And he was able to manage to make the adjustment multiple times throughout the series after Ekblad was handed the second of his two suspensions for elbowing Brandon Hagel in Game 4 against Tampa Bay.

“It’s been smooth,” Forsling said “Both guys are so good, so they make it easy. No problem at all.”

The Panthers want to see more of that when they kick off their second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.