This is actually the best defenseman on the Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are one of the best teams in the NHL and have been since the end of the 2022-23 season. They went to the Stanley Cup Final and are back in it again this year.

Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour are both incredible players that Florida is lucky to have. Each of them contributes at a high level in all areas of the game.

With that said, although some people believe they are the two best defensemen on the team, there is one other guy who may be overshadowed despite actually being the best.

After becoming a 5th-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 NHL Draft, he had a wild road to get to where he is right now.

Gustav Forsling has bounced around before finding his best NHL home

The Canucks traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks before he ever played a single game for them. He then played three seasons with Chicago before they gave up on his development.

In 2019, Chicago traded Forsling to the Carolina Hurricanes. He spent a lot of time in the minors there but then they put him on waivers.

That is how the Florida Panthers got him as they selected him off waivers in January of 2021. From there, his NHL career took off.

Here in the 2024, he is a rockstar. During this season, he had 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points while playing incredible in all three zones. He seems to be able to close down gaps and defend well when needed before running into the offensive zone to show his skill.

In the playoffs, he has four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 17 games. All of his goals seem to come in the most clutch of moments.

It is no surprise that with guys like Montour and Ekblad around him along with great depth in guys like Niko Mikkola, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Dmitry Kulikov, the Panthers are an elite team.

Heading into the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers are ready to get redemption and win for the first time in franchise history. Forsling will need to continue his dominance to reach that goal. So far, he's been wonderful in a Panthers uniform.