Gustav
Forsling
D · FLA · Defensive · Around average
- PAL
- 43
- WAR
- -0.1
- Value
- 25
- PTS
- 28
2025-26№ 252 / 325
Gustav Forsling (Florida Panthers) stats and profile: offensive production, ice time, advanced stats, WAR and PAL rating.
Gustav Forsling
#42D
Florida Panthers
HEIGHT : 185 cm · WEIGHT : 90 kg · SHOOTS : L
Born : June 11, 1996 · Linkoping, Sweden
Drafted : 2014 · VAN · round 5, pick #126
Contract : $5,750,000 · 2024-25 → 2031-32 · Standard Contract (Extension) · UFA · Signing bonus $5,525,000NMC / M-NTC
NHL record
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | Florida Panthers | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 2025-26 | Florida Panthers | 80 | 2 | 26 | 28 | 51 |
| 2024-25 | Florida Panthers | 80 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 16 |
| 2023-24 | Florida Panthers | 79 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 43 |
| 2022-23 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 13 | 28 | 41 | 40 |
| 2021-22 | Florida Panthers | 71 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 18 |
| 2020-21 | Florida Panthers | 43 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 8 |
| 2018-19 | Chicago Blackhawks | 43 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 30 |
| 2017-18 | Chicago Blackhawks | 41 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 8 |
| 2016-17 | Chicago Blackhawks | 38 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| NHL totals | 573 | 60 | 162 | 222 | 224 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Florida Panthers | 23 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| 2023-24 | Florida Panthers | 24 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 12 |
| 2022-23 | Florida Panthers | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 2021-22 | Florida Panthers | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 2020-21 | Florida Panthers | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Playoff totals | 84 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 34 | |
Honours
- 🏆 Stanley Cup2 times · 2024-25, 2023-24
Gustav Forsling: our analysis
2025-26 season: 80 GP, 2 G, 26 A, 28 PTS, -5 +/-, 22:38 TOI. WAR -0.1 (252nd of 325) · PAL 43, around average.
In 2025-26, Gustav Forsling, 30, posts a PAL Rating of 43 out of 100 (around average), and his WAR of -0.1 ranks 252nd among 325 regulars, in the bottom quarter.
His strengths: possession (78, well above average) and defense (66, above average). On the other hand, power play (13, among the weakest in the league) and shooting (19, well below average) hold him back.
Breaking down his WAR (goals above average), his biggest contribution: EV defense (+1.2); his biggest cost: finishing (-3.1).
A marked decline: his PAL was 73 in 2024-25, against 43 now; his WAR went from 1.2 to -0.1.
Contract-wise, his Value score of 25 (poor return) weighs his output against what he costs: 50 is what that salary should buy.
Gustav Forsling's story
Selected 126th overall in 2014, Gustav Forsling came up through the Linköpings HC system and made his senior debut in the Swedish Hockey League during the 2014–15 season. Born in Linköping, he developed in the club that launched his path to professional hockey and to international junior duty.
Vancouver drafted him in 2014 but transferred his NHL rights to the Chicago Blackhawks on 29 January 2015 in the deal for Adam Clendening. After another season in Sweden, Forsling signed a three-year contract with Chicago on 11 May 2016 and earned a spot on the Blackhawks' opening roster for 2016–17. He scored his first NHL goal on 13 November in a win over the Montreal Canadiens and later spent time with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs beginning 6 January 2017.
Chicago traded Forsling to the Carolina Hurricanes on 24 June 2019, alongside goaltender Anton Forsberg, in exchange for Aleksi Saarela and Calvin de Haan. He re-signed with Carolina on one-year deals before being placed on waivers on 8 January 2021 and claimed by the Florida Panthers the next day. Florida extended his contract with a three-year, $8 million deal signed 15 July, and later committed to him long-term with an eight-year, $46 million extension on 7 March 2024.
Forsling reached the pinnacle of team success with the Panthers, winning his first Stanley Cup when Florida defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games on 24 June 2024, and following that with a second consecutive Stanley Cup when the Panthers beat the Oilers again in six games the next season.
Internationally, Forsling captained Sweden at the 2015 World Junior Championships and was named to the tournament All-Star team; he first appeared with the senior Swedish team during the 2015–16 Euro Hockey Tour. A defenceman by trade, his résumé spans professional play in the SHL, steady NHL experience and leadership roles with Sweden’s junior program.
Facts drawn from Wikipédia, told in our own words.
Advanced stats
- TOI/GP
- 21:05
- PP TOI/GP
- 0:28
- SH TOI/GP
- 3:28
- Pts/GP
- 0.12
- EV points
- 2
- Hits
- 12
- Blocks
- 19
- Takeaways
- 6
- Corsi % (SAT)
- 54.7 %
- Off. zone starts
- 33.2 %
Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)
2026-27 projection
Projected points
21between 9 and 32 (80% range)
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 17
- Games
- 80
So far: 2 pts in 17 games. The team has played 18 of 84 games. Projected pace: 0.30 pts per game (last season: 0.35).
The projection follows last season's pace. Tested on 2,265 player seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26): average miss of 9 points over 82 games; for players at 0.9 points per game and up, it ran 5 points high on average.
Trend
Slight decline
- Points per game: 0.49 in 23-24, 0.35 in 25-26
- PAL Rating: 73 → 43
Outlook, age included
↘ Slight declineAge 30: prime years
This is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes; one player in five finishes outside the range.
Player ratings, 2025-26
All ratings →Fourteen ratings from 0 to 100 drawn from data, never by hand: 75 = established NHL player, 95+ = elite.
OV · OverallConfidence 88 %
79
Established NHL
- SK
- Skating
- 82
- Confidence 73 %
- ST
- Strength
- 56
- Confidence 90 %
- EN
- Endurance
- 85
- Confidence 80 %
- DU
- Durability
- 89
- Confidence 77 %
- CK
- Checking
- 71
- Confidence 90 %
- FG
- Fighting
- 76
- Confidence 66 %
- DI
- Discipline
- 76
- Confidence 90 %
- FO
- Faceoffs
- —
- PA
- Passing
- 78
- Confidence 88 %
- SC
- Scoring
- 72
- Confidence 88 %
- DF
- Defense
- 76
- Confidence 85 %
- PS
- Penalty shot
- 76
- Confidence 0 %
- EX
- Experience
- 87
- Confidence 100 %
Why these ratings?Hide details
SK — Skating82
- Top speed (35 %)36.4 · 87
- Bursts > 20 mph /60 (30 %)2.784 · 84
- Distance /60 (20 %)13.8 · 62
- Speed consistency (15 %)35.4 · 86
ST — Strength56
- Contact absorbed /60 (50 %)3.004 · 55
- Body mass (50 %)-0.154 · 70
EN — Endurance85
- Ice time per game (45 %)21.5 · 86
- Total ice time (20 %)1,764 · 87
- Shift length (15 %)48.3 · 78
- Lowest recent ice time per game (15 %)20.3 · 86
- Special-teams time per game (5 %)3.379 · 85
DU — Durability89
- Share of games played (100 %)0.885 · 89
CK — Checking71
- Hits /60 (70 %)2.543 · 71
- Lowest seasonal rate (20 %)2.028 · 69
- Season volume (10 %)3.97 · 75
FG — Fighting76
- Fights per 82 games (100 %)0.845 · 76
DI — Discipline76
- Net penalty value /60 (50 %)-0.038 · 76
- Penalties taken /60 (30 %)0.531 · 79
- Penalties drawn /60 (20 %)0.303 · 65
PA — Passing78
- Primary assists /60 (40 %)0.418 · 78
- Secondary assists /60 (20 %)0.428 · 77
- Offensive creation (RAPM) (20 %)0.021 · 77
- Power-play points /60 (10 %)3.488 · 60
- Assist consistency (10 %)0.278 · 78
SC — Scoring72
- Goals /60 (25 %)0.222 · 75
- Individual xG /60 (20 %)0.217 · 77
- Finishing (goals − xG per shot) (20 %)0.027 · 67
- High-danger chances /60 (15 %)0.077 · 70
- xG per shot (10 %)0.033 · 64
- Shot attempts /60 (10 %)11.4 · 82
DF — Defense76
- RAPM defense /60 (35 %)0.025 · 76
- Relative xG against (20 %)-0.008 · 75
- On-ice xG against /60 (15 %)2.535 · 80
- Penalty kill /60 (10 %)-0.21 · 60
- Takeaways − giveaways /60 (10 %)-1.018 · 95
- Shot attempts against /60 (5 %)58.4 · 73
- Blocked shots /60 (5 %)3.521 · 60
PS — Penalty shot76
- Shootouts (60 %)32.7 · 76
- Penalty shots (40 %)26.7 · 76
EX — Experience87
- Career regular-season games (65 %)89
- Career playoff games (25 %)84
- NHL seasons (10 %)81
OV — Overall79
- DF · Defense (30 %)76
- PA · Passing (22 %)78
- SK · Skating (12 %)82
- SC · Scoring (12 %)72
- EN · Endurance (9 %)85
- ST · Strength (6 %)56
- DI · Discipline (5 %)76
- CK · Checking (4 %)71
| Season | OV | SK | SC | DF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 79 | 82 | 72 | 76 |
| 2024-25 | 81 | 84 | 84 | 74 |
| 2023-24 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 73 |
| 2022-23 | 75 | 89 | 86 | 60 |
The bars show confidence (sample size), not player quality. — : not enough data, not a zero. Engine version 1.0.
WAR and PAL ratings, 2025-26
How we rate →PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against players at the same position (50 = average player), starting from the player's strength, offensive or defensive. Value Rating compares that performance with what the player costs: 50 means paid what the play is worth.
WAR
-0.1
wins above replacement
252 of 325
PAL Rating
43/ 100
Performance · Around average
139 of 250 at the position
Value Rating
25/ 100
Poor return
5.75 M$ · expected PAL 66
ProfileDefensiveValue comes mostly from defense
- Offense
- 37
- Defense
- 68
See full detailsHide details
- Offense
- 41
- Creation
- 19
- Shooting
- 19
- Possession
- 78
- Defense
- 66
- Discipline
- 22
- Power play
- 13
- Penalty kill
- 22
From 0 to 100; 50 is the average player at the same position, adjusted for ice time.
| Season | Team | WAR | PAL | Value | Cap hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | FLA | -0.1 | 43 | 25 | 5.75 M$ |
| 2024-25 | FLA | 1.2 | 73 | 50 | 5.75 M$ |
| 2023-24 | FLA | 1.1 | 89 | 90 | 2.67 M$ |
| 2022-23 | FLA | -0.2 | 48 | 38 | 2.67 M$ |
Hockey IQ, 2025-26
Rankings and method →The quality of the player's decisions with and against the puck at 5-on-5, against regulars at the same position (50 = average). PAL measures output; IQ measures how the player plays.
Overall IQ
66/ 100
Average
better than 66% of defensemen, offense and defense combined
Offensive IQ
42/ 100
Average
passing, shots, puck
Defensive IQ
79/ 100
Very good
takeaways, discipline, own zone
Overall IQ isn't an average of the two scores: it's the player's rank with offense and defense combined, 76 of 225 defensemen.
See full detailsHide details
Offense
- Playmaking passes
- 75
- Shot selection
- 37
- Penalties drawn
- 16
- Puck management
- 77
Defense
- Takeaways
- 49
- Discipline
- 52
- Safe zone exits
- 97
Percentiles: 80 means better than 80% of regulars at the same position. Play without the puck (positioning, coverage) isn't measured: the NHL doesn't publish that data.
| Season | Team | IQ | Off. | Def. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | FLA | 66 | 42 | 79 |
| 2024-25 | FLA | 93 | 45 | 98 |
| 2023-24 | FLA | 94 | 80 | 94 |
| 2022-23 | FLA | 82 | 75 | 78 |
WAR, 2025-26
How it's calculated →Wins added to the team, compared with a replacement-level player called up from the AHL.
-0.1
wins above replacement
-1.1 to 0.7 — 90% interval
252 of 325 defensemen
-0.6 goals above replacement
Full leaderboard →See full detailsHide details
- EV offense
- +1.0
- EV defense
- +1.2
- Power play
- -0.1
- Penalty kill
- -1.2
- Shooting
- -3.1
- Penalties
- -2.0
- Average → replacement
- +3.7
In goals.
| Season | Team | GP | WAR | 90% interval | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | FLA | 80 | -0.1 | -1.1 to 0.7 | 252/325 |
| 2024-25 | FLA | 76 | 1.2 | 0.1 to 2.0 | 44/314 |
| 2023-24 | FLA | 79 | 1.1 | 0.1 to 2.2 | 44/316 |
| 2022-23 | FLA | 82 | -0.2 | -1.9 to 1.3 | 264/334 |
Player tracking (NHL EDGE)
League EDGE leaderboards →Speed, shot power, distance covered, time by zone: measured by chips in the puck and shoulder pads. 90th percentile = better than 90% of players.
- Hardest shot
- 152.3 km/h89th percentileleague avg. 139.7 km/h
- Top skating speed
- 36.3 km/h94th percentileleague avg. 34.0 km/h
- Bursts over 20 mph, season
- 1377th percentileleague avg. 8
- Offensive zone time
- 42.0 %55th percentileleague avg. 42.4 %
See full detailsHide details
- Total distance, season
- 71.7 km63rd percentileleague avg. 56.1 km
- Distance, single-game high
- 5.14 km55th percentileleague avg. 4.98 km
- Offensive zone at 5v5
- 44.0 %81st percentileleague avg. 42.8 %
- Neutral zone time
- 17.8 %35th percentileleague avg. 16.9 %
- Defensive zone time
- 40.2 %53rd percentileleague avg. 40.8 %
Shooting
| Shots on goal | Goals | Shooting % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 2174th percentile | 172nd percentile | 4.8 %46th percentile |
| High danger | 175th percentile | 084th percentile | 0.0 %60th percentile |
| Mid range | 787th percentile | 073rd percentile | 0.0 %50th percentile |
| Long range | 968th percentile | 195th percentile | 11.1 %92nd percentile |
Shots on goal by zone
2026-2027 regular season. Measured by puck and player tracking chips; the percentile ranks the player within the league.
Game log, 2026-27
BOS
WSH
CHI
DET
WPG
PIT
OTT
SEA
VAN
CBJ
BUF
MIN
LAK
ANA
CARGustav Forsling: frequently asked questions
How many goals does Gustav Forsling have in 2026-27?
Gustav Forsling has 1 goal and 2 points (1 assist) in 17 games in 2026-27.
How old is Gustav Forsling?
Gustav Forsling is 30 years old: he was born on June 12, 1996.
How tall is Gustav Forsling, and how much does he weigh?
Gustav Forsling is 6'1" (185 cm) and weighs 198 lb (90 kg).
Where is Gustav Forsling from?
Sweden: Gustav Forsling was born in Linkoping, Sweden.
What team does Gustav Forsling play for?
Gustav Forsling plays for the Florida Panthers in the NHL, at D, wearing number 42.
Is Gustav Forsling injured?
No: Gustav Forsling is not on the latest NHL injury report. This answer is updated throughout the season.
How good is Gustav Forsling?
Gustav Forsling produced -0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2025-26, 252nd of 325 players at his position in the NHL. His PAL rating is 43 out of 100: around average for his position.
How much does Gustav Forsling make?
Gustav Forsling earns $5.8M for the 2025-26 season. His Value Rating is 25 out of 100 (poor return): it measures the on-field return for that salary, compared with players at his position.
When does Gustav Forsling's contract end?
Gustav Forsling's contract runs through the 2031-32 season; he will then be an unrestricted free agent. It includes a NMC / M-NTC clause.
Is Gustav Forsling overpaid?
Yes, his output falls short of what his salary should buy. His Value rating is 25 out of 100 (poor return), where 50 is the output expected for his salary, compared with players at his position.
Is Gustav Forsling a top-10 player at his position?
No: by WAR, he ranks 252nd of 325 players at his position in the NHL in 2025-26. Our comparison tool puts him side by side with any other player.
Is Gustav Forsling getting better?
No, he is slipping: his PAL rating went from 73 in 2024-25 to 43 in 2025-26 (out of 100, 50 = average player at his position).
How has Gustav Forsling played lately?
Over his last 10 games, Gustav Forsling has 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist).
What are Gustav Forsling's career stats?
Over his NHL career, Gustav Forsling has 573 games, 60 goals, 162 assists and 222 points. His best season: 2022-23, with 41 points in 82 games.
Where was Gustav Forsling drafted?
Gustav Forsling was drafted 126th overall (round 5) by Vancouver Canucks in 2014.
Is Gustav Forsling better at home or on the road?
No real difference: in 2026-27, he averages 0.17 points per game at home (1 in 6 games) and 0.09 on the road (1 in 11 games).
How does Gustav Forsling perform in the playoffs?
In the playoffs, Gustav Forsling has 84 games and 31 points in his career. His pace (0.37 points per game) is similar to his regular-season pace (0.39).
Which player is most similar to Gustav Forsling?
Drew Doughty: he is the player at his position whose PAL profile (the 0-to-100 dimensions) is closest to his in 2025-26.
Drew Doughty's page →Is Gustav Forsling a good fantasy pick?
Probably not, except in deep leagues: our projection has him at 21 points in 2026-27, or 0.26 points per game.
What is Gustav Forsling's nationality?
Gustav Forsling is Swedish. Internationally: Represented Sweden's junior national teams; served as captain and named to the All-Star team at the 2015 World Junior Championships; first played for Sweden's senior team during the 2015–16 Euro Hockey Tour.
What awards has Gustav Forsling won?
Named to the All-Star team at the 2015 World Junior Championships.
How many championships has Gustav Forsling won?
2: Stanley Cup champion 2024 with the Florida Panthers; Stanley Cup champion 2025 with the Florida Panthers.
Where did Gustav Forsling play before turning pro?
A product of Linköpings HC; made his senior SHL debut during the 2014–15 season.
How many points is Gustav Forsling projected to score in 2026-27?
Our projection has him at 21 points in 80 games in 2026-27 (9 to 32 points, 80% interval), based on his recent seasons, age and role.
See also: his Florida Panthers teammates
Full roster →
NHL.com ↗ · Stats and photos: NHL (NHL.com)