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“He’s a miniature Lidstrom with more speed. He’s never out of position. He anticipates, he’s quick to jump into holes, he has a bomb of shot.” — Ed Jovanovski on former Canucks draft pick Forsling.
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Published Jun 06, 2024 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read
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Former Canucks draft pick Gustav Forsling is being lauded for his complete game with the Panthers, including denying Nils Hoglander on this rush attempt. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images files
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Ed Jovanovski compared the consistent Gustav Forsling to the legendary Nicklas Lidstrom.
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It seems like a stretch for the former Vancouver Canucks defenceman and Florida Panthers broadcaster to link the current top-pairing blueliner to a seven-time Norris Trophy winner and four-time Stanley Cup champion.
But Jovanovski is convinced the Panthers have something special in the slick and mature 27-year-old Swede.
“He’s a miniature Lidstrom with more speed,” Jovanovski said in a phone interview earlier this week from Florida. “He’s never out of position. He anticipates, he’s quick to jump into holes, has a bomb of shot, and makes an excellent first pass. You’re not going to go ‘wow’ because he lets the puck do the work and doesn’t over complicate things.
“It’s his confidence. He’s passed every test. And now with (Aaron) Ekblad he gets the big assignments. He’s a horse on the penalty kill, and anticipates better than anyone I’ve seen in a long time.”
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Gustav Forsling guards Toronto’s Auston Matthews during their NHL playoff matchup last month. Photo by Claus Andersen /Getty Images
It’s why Jovanovski is perplexed how the Canucks quickly moved on from Forsling. After all, the puck-moving defender appeared to be a prudent fifth-round draft play for the Canucks in 2014. Maybe another fifth-round find like Kevin Bieksa in 2001?
But after two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League, Forsling was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks for bigger defenceman Adam Clendening, who logged just 17 games here. Six months later, Clendening, Nick Bonino and a second-round pick were dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brandon Sutter and a third-rounder that turned into Will Lockwood.
Today, the Canucks have nothing to show for those transactions. The Panthers have a top-pairing defenceman, who is expected to play a prominent matchup role when the Stanley Cup final against the Edmonton Oilers opens Saturday in Sunrise, Fla.
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“There’s not one weakness in Forsling’s game, other than being a smaller (6-foot, 195 pound) D-man,” added Jovanovski of the blueliner’s 39 points (10-29) this season, 11 points (4-7) in 17 postseason games, and league-leading plus-56 rating.
If that’s not enough, he is also under contract for another eight seasons at a palatable $5.75-million US annual salary-cap hit in a front-loaded extension that starts $6.25 million and ends at $3.9 million.
It’s why the “What-If Game” is so mind-numbing for so many, whether it’s a player or playoff series result.
Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet still can’t unplug and unwind after his club rallied from a 3-0 deficit to nearly force overtime in Game 7 of a suspense-filled, second-round NHL playoff series setback to the Oilers.
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Imagine if the Canucks connected on that early four-minute power play to set the tone? Imagine if Brock Boeser was healthy? Imagine if J.T. Miller’s last-minute shot found the open net instead of a teammate? No wonder Tocchet is consumed.
It’s a long-standing tradition in Vancouver to wonder “what if” — especially when it’s greater than just one game.
A massive 2016 draft pass on winger Matthew Tkachuk in favour of blueliner Olli Juolevi with the fifth selection remains that big scab that pundits keep picking at. If the Canucks thought at that time they had a budding game-changer in Jake Virtanen, they were wrong. And maybe picking Tkachuk would have exposed that error. Who knows?
Winger Matthew Tkachuk is that irritant and productive power forward whom the Canucks passed on in the 2016 draft. Photo by Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Every NHL team has a draft skeleton in its closet. Juolevi, who logged just 23 games with the Canucks and often seemed overwhelmed and lacked fitness, is playing in Europe. The best result of a 2021 trade with the Panthers was the Canucks landing defenceman Noah Juulsen, who can play at the NHL level.
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Meanwhile, Tkachuk continues to command the spotlight on the biggest stage. He’s a point-per-game gamer, mouthguard chewing in-your-face irritant, trash-talker, goalie-nudger, and is incredibly productive.
Tkachuk is no day at a South Florida beach. He would probably kick sand in your face if that’s what it took because he is wired to win at all costs. And another solid season of being second in club scoring with 88 points (26-62) and healthy for another run at the Cup have him in a good place.
“He’s the ultimate warrior who brings everybody into the fight,” lauded Jovanovski. “He’s not going to change. He’s a sh-t disturber when he needs to, and he’ll play hard between the whistles. If there’s no scrum, he wont be involved.
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“That’s where the team is so mentally tough and kind of rallies off that. He’s a catalyst.”
The Panthers are also getting something out of the rejuvenated Oliver Ekman-Larsson, 32, who was bought out last June by the Canucks. He has found his game in a more suitable third pairing with 32 points (9-23) this season, but remains on the books in Vancouver for six more seasons.
“I played with him in Arizona and you could see the offence and the flash he had and how well he skated,” recalled Jovanoski. “Now, he’s not the guy. Just slide in there and he has done his job in mixed pairings.
“He has kept his game simple. As you get older, you understand that less is more and it takes some longer to figure it out.”
bkuzma@postmedia.com
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-how-gustav-forsling-got-away-to-help-make-panthers-day-in-stanley-cup-final