When Boston Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney signed a handful of veteran free agents in the summer of 2021, he signed two forwards, Nick Foligno and Tomas Nosek, and goalie Linus Ullmark. He also signed defenseman Derek Forbort and that signing has been very beneficial in his first two seasons in Boston.
This season, Forbort became one of the more valuable blueliners because of the role he played on special teams, while doing some of the little things to help the Bruins set an NHL record for wins and points in a regular season.
Forbort Became a Key Penalty-Killer In 2022-23
Let’s be honest, Forbort is never going to be an offensive defenseman like Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm despite scoring a career-high five goals. It’s just not in his game. Whatever you get from him is a bonus, but he does a lot of his dirty work 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. The Bruins finished the regular season with the league’s top-ranked unit and along with defensive partner Brandon Carlo, Forbort had a big hand in that.
Unfortunately for Forbort and the Bruins, injuries played a big part in his season. He only played in 54 games, missing time in November for a broken finger, then in March, he suffered a lower-body injury in a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets that forced him to miss the remainder of the regular season before the playoffs. In between, he added seven assists with his five goals, while blocking 88 shots and dishing out 106 hits while averaging 17:44 a night.
Just how valuable was Forbort of the PK? He scored two of his five goals shorthanded and how big was that? Brad Marchand had a streak of 12 straight seasons of recording a shorthanded goal snapped in the regular season, but Forbort picked up the slack with his two. During his November absence, the Bruins’ penalty kill struggled and was overtaken for a short amount of time by the San Jose Sharks for the top spot. As expected, when he returned, so did the strong PK.
Forbort’s Postseason Was Not Great
You can add Forbort’s name to the list of Bruins who struggled at times in the first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers. He had one assist and finished with a plus/minus of minus-1. He had seven blocks and 11 hits. Clearing pucks out of the zone was an issue for the Black and Gold along zone exits. It was the second straight postseason where he was average for Boston after having an average series against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022.
Where Does Forbort Fit In With the Bruins in 2023-24?
You can add Forbort’s name to the long list of names that are under contract for next season and there are questions surrounding his future wearing the Spoked-B. He has one year remaining on a three-year contract that carries a $3 million average annual value (AAV). The Bruins are very tight with cap space and will be looking to unload some contracts ahead of free agency on July 1, but just which ones does Sweeney move?
Related: Boston Bruins 2022-23 Player Grades: Nick Foligno
A left-shot defenseman or two could find themselves on the way out with Forbort and Matt Grzelcyk being the candidates. Both enter their contracts’ final season, and Grzelcyk carries a little higher AAV at $3.687 million. It could very well come down to Forbort and Grzelcyk as to which one gets moved and which one any team finds that can be helpful to the. The Columbus Blue Jackets have added to their defense over the last couple of days and are just about the only team that would be out as a potential landing spot for either Grzelcyk or Forbort.
Grzelcyk seems like the one of the two that would be moved first as he fell out of Jim Montgoemry’s playoff rotation on defense and missed three of the seven games against the Panthers. It would have been understandable if Forbort was scratched in any of the games, but it’s clear he was in the lineup largely thanks to his penalty-killing minutes. Still, it’s 50-50 as to whether or not Forbort is back next season or not.