Every NHL team has prospects that were traded or given up on before their potential was realized. The Vancouver Canucks are no exception. In the first of an ongoing series here at The Hockey Writers, I will be highlighting a player that was drafted or signed by the team and then let go before they could hit their stride on the West Coast. Starting with Gustav Forsling, who was selected 126th overall in 2014 by the Canucks and is now starring with the Florida Panthers in a top-four role.
2014 Draft Was Full of Missed Opportunities for the Canucks
Just think if the Canucks would have drafted Nikolaj Ehlers and David Pastrnak and kept Forsling instead of trading him. I would imagine they would look very different today and may even have a Stanley Cup under their belts. While that universe might exist somewhere, that’s not the one Canucks Nation lives in today. Instead, Ehlers is lighting it up with the Winnipeg Jets and Pastrnak has become one of the franchise greats in Boston, already eclipsing 500 points in the NHL along with six seasons of 20 goals or more.
And Forsling, well, we’ll get to him a little later on. After being selected in the fifth round by the Canucks, he showed promise very early on and appeared to be a steal for then-general manager Jim Benning and company, and it all started at the 2015 World Junior Championship (WJC) when he starred for Team Sweden.
Forsling Stars for Sweden at the 2015 World Juniors
The 2015 WJC was exciting for Canucks fans as they got to watch three prospects star for their respective countries. Future starting goaltender Thatcher Demko for Team USA, Jake Virtanen for Team Canada, and Forsling for Team Sweden. While Virtanen was the only one who walked away with a medal, Forsling was by far the most impressive finishing with three goals and eight points in seven games.
Related: 2014 NHL Draft Top 10: Where Are They Now?
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Named to the All-Star Team and ending the tournament with the most goals, assists, and points by a defenseman, Forsling was the talk of the town when it came to defensive prospects. Unfortunately, that excitement was shortlived, as Benning decided to trade him to the Chicago Blackhawks for 22-year-old Adam Clendening just weeks after the WJC had ended.
Clendening Flops in Vancouver, Forsling Starts to Thrive Elsewhere
Yes, Clendening was more developed as an NHL defenceman at the time, but as it turns out, not the…
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