Stan bowman faces severe backlash for a move that's hurting the Chicago Blackhawks till this day

The Florida Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Finals for the third year in a row, as Paul Maurice's dynasty is running strong.

The team has been meticulously constructed by GM Bill Zito, a protégé of Jarmo Kekalainen of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

While that's another story for another time, this involved defenseman Gustav Forsling, and Stan Bowman.

Forsling was originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks but was given his first-shot in the NHL by GM Stan Bowman in 2016. He'd sign the defenseman to a three-year ELC with a cap hit of $925K AAV.

We have to question Bowman's talent for evaluation, as he's missed his mark lately, letting Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway escape to St. Louis.

However, his mistake before that happened nearly six years ago on June 24th, 2019, when he decided it was necessary to trade Gustav Forsling and Anton Forsberg to the Carolina Hurricanes in return for a meager haul of Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela.

Fast-forward to 2025, Forsling has been a mainstay in the Florida Panthers' lineup and has become one of the team's best defensemen. He's risen in the ranks while increasing his production year by year.

This season, he's scored a total of 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) after the last three seasons' scoring: 37, 41, and 39. He's become a Norris Trophy candidate under Paul Maurice, finishing 9th in the rankings, and won one Stanley Cup in Sunrise.

Forsling has been a key contributor to the Panthers success, and the Blackhawks have Stan Bowman to blame, for letting him slip through his fingers for an aging veteran defenseman such as de Haan.

De Haan, who most likely isn't returning to the New York Rangers organization this season, is an example of bias that GMs and Coaches in the NHL alike share for veterans who were once successful, but unable to be the ones who could help the team to the ultimate prize.

Forsling plays well on both sides of the puck, possessing shutdown defenseman traits and maintaining reliable offensive production.

While Bowman left the team depleted of decent prospects, Kyle Davidson has done more than his fair share of replenishing the pipeline in Chicago.

Another blemish on a dynasty that arguably was built off the back of Dale Tallon.