Florida Panthers defenseman makes team Sweden

The roster dropped Friday, and it is pure NHL top end from the crease out. In goal, Jacob Markstrom, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt get the call, while the skater group is built to play fast and heavy.

The blue line is where this team feels unfair on paper. Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson, Rasmus Dahlin, Jonas Brodin, Rasmus Andersson, Philip Broberg, Oliver Ekman Larsson, and Forsling give Sweden answers for every matchup.

Forsling is the Panthers name I keep circling because his game travels. He is a clean exit machine, closes gaps early, and kills plays with stick position instead of chaos.

The numbers back it up, too. Forsling put up 31 points in 80 games last season, and still lived in hard minutes, averaging 22:57 a night, with a plus-33 on top.
Florida locked him up for a reason, and the deal tells you how they value him.

Forsling's eight-year extension carries a $5.75 million cap hit, and he was a 2014 fifth-round pick, 126th overall by Vancouver.

Sweden will open the men's tournament on February 11 against host Italy, with Finland and Slovakia also waiting in Group B. That is a tight group, and Sweden's best path is defending early, then letting skill finish.

As a Panthers watcher, I love this pick because it rewards the quiet work that actually wins playoff series.

In a short event, Forsling can be the stabilizer beside a rover like Karlsson, or the safety valve behind an aggressive forecheck. NHL.com noted he averaged 26:44 per game in the 2025 Cup Final, often against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, that is the exact stress test Sweden needs.

Now it gets real: can Sweden's blue line turn those stops into clean outlets and quick strike rushes? If Forsling looks like himself, this roster has a real medal feel, and the next checkpoint is how those pairs settle in before the opener.