The Hurricanes swung a trade Monday night, acquiring Anton Forsberg and Gustav Forsling from Chicago in exchange for Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela.
Forsberg, 26, spent last season backstopping the Rockford IceHogs and posted a 15-17-1 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage that ranked fourth in the AHL. Over the course of his career the Swede has appeared in 158 AHL games for Springfield, Lake Erie/Cleveland and Rockford, going 88-52-9. Forsberg, who was drafted by Columbus in 2011 and helped lead Lake Erie to a Calder Cup in 2015-16, has also logged 45 NHL games with the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks – including 35 with Chicago in 2017-18.
Forsling, 23, spent the majority of his third pro season in North America with the Blackhawks, posting nine points (3g, 6a) over 43 games. The Swedish blue liner has 122 NHL games under his belt with Chicago, recording 27 points (8g, 19a) along the way. Forsling, a fifth-round pick in 2014 by Vancouver, has also appeared in 53 AHL games in Rockford and put up 15 points (3g, 12a) for the IceHogs.
Going the other way in the trade are de Haan, who marked 14 points (1g, 13a) in 74 games during his lone season with the Hurricanes, and Saarela, a third-round pick by the Rangers who was acquired in 2016 in exchange for Eric Staal.
Saarela departs having racked up 107 points (61g, 46a) in 147 AHL games for the Checkers. The Finnish forward is coming off a 2018-19 campaign that saw him record the franchise’s fourth 30-goal season ever and add 15 points (7g, 8a) in 17 postseason games to help Charlotte capture the Calder Cup. Saarela currently ranks sixth on the franchise’s all-time goals leader list.
