While it's much more fun to highlight the successful trades, there are times when it's important to imagine what could've been. The Hurricanes have made many big trades with the Blackhawks over the years. I've highlighted a few in recent weeks, talking about Bryan Bickell (and Teuvo Teravainen) and Scott Darling. However, this trade sticks out after recent postseason run-ins with the Panthers.
The Hurricanes tried to make a splash in 2018 by adding Calvin de Haan to their defensive group, snagging him on a four-year, $18.2 million ($4.55m AAV) deal. After 14 points in 74 games, the team pivoted. Packaged with prospect Aleksi Saarela, whom they received for Eric Staal, the team sent de Haan to the Blackhawks for goalie Anton Forsberg and young defenseman Gustav Forsling.
de Haan played the remainder of his contract in Chicago, scoring just 24 points in 142 games while playing around 19 minutes per night. He found his way back to Raleigh in 2022, signing a one-year deal and playing 53 games. He has bounced around over the last two seasons, playing in Tampa Bay, Colorado, and New York, the last of whom he had a falling out with at the end of the campaign.
After being acquired in 2016, Saarela had yet to crack the NHL. He was a big part of the Charlotte Checkers' Calder Cup win in 2019, scoring 15 points in 17 playoff games. Saarela wasn't with Chicago for long, being traded to the Panthers four months later. He made his NHL debut on December 7, 2019, scored two goals and four points in nine games, and returned to Finland after the season.
Forsberg has become a solid NHL goalie
Anton Forsberg had been around the block once he made it to the Canes. The 2011 pick played ten games with Columbus over three seasons before being traded to Chicago for Artemi Panarin. Forsberg earned more of a chance with Chicago, starting 30 games with Corey Crawford dealing with injuries. Forsberg's first win as a Blackhawk came in Raleigh, stopping 35 shots in a 4-3 OT victory.
After spending the entire 2018-19 season in the AHL, Forsberg was sent to the Hurricanes. He spent most of the season in Charlotte before being called up in the aftermath of the David Ayres game. Forsberg dropped his team debut to Colorado before being lifted early the following night against Montreal, allowing three goals on 20 shots in just over 24 minutes.
His fortunes turned on Long Island in a 3-2 OT win to snap a four-game skid. Forsberg signed in the offseason with Edmonton before being passed around on the waiver wire. Eventually, he settled in Ottawa. where Forsberg went 62-56-10 in five seasons. He terrorized the Canes in 2021-22, stopping 89 of 94 shots to earn a pair of one-goal wins. Forsberg signed with the Kings this offseason.
Could patience have served the Canes well with Forsling?
Knowing what we know now, the Hurricanes were foolish to place Gustav Forsling on waivers without giving him a chance in the lineup. However, there's no way they could've known Forsling would blossom into this type of defenseman six years ago. Chicago gave it their best shot. He dressed for 112 games over three seasons and only scored 27 points.
When the Hurricanes got their hands on him, Forsling was no better than sixth on the left-shot defenseman depth chart, behind Slavin, Skjei, Edmundson, Fleury, and Gardiner. Forsling had 26 points in 57 games with Charlotte that season. The Canes placed him on waivers before the start of the abbreviated 2021 season, where the Panthers snagged one of the biggest steals of the decade.
Florida didn't see an immediate return on Forsling, who managed just 17 points in 43 games in 2021. It wasn't until the 2021-22 campaign that he truly broke out. He has topped ten goals and 30 points in all four seasons since, including a career-high 13 goals and 41 points in 2022-23. Forsling has been critical during each of Florida's Stanley Cup runs, rubbing salt on the Canes' wounds.
Is there a world where Forsling is successful with the Hurricanes? There might be. Would Forsling have waited for space to clear for him to become a contributing member of the team? I don't believe he would've, nor should he. He probably would've been a better option than Ian Cole or Dmitry Orlov or some others, but that's purely speculation.
I think the big issue is that the Hurricanes lost him for nothing, allowing the Panthers to poach him and turn him into a machine on Florida's back end. This trade hasn't aged well, especially with Forsling winning two Stanley Cups and beating the Canes in the conference finals to win his most recent. You can't win them all, but this might hurt a little more than others.