Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort to miss remainder of regular season

Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury, according to Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. As of now, it is unknown whether he will return for the playoffs.

The 31-year-old veteran is in his second season with the Bruins. He has five goals and 12 points in 54 games, along with a +12 rating this year.

Forbort was injured during the second period of the Bruins’ March 16 game against the Winnipeg Jets. He didn’t suit up for the last two Bruins games, against the Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres, respectively.

Forbort was originally selected 15th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2010 NHL Draft. Unfortunately for him, he was playing in the AHL during the Kings’ 2013-14 Stanley Cup championship season. He played 268 games for the Kings over five seasons, scoring six goals and 53 points.

The Duluth, Minnesota native is a bottom-pairing defensive defenseman who is not known to pile up the points. To date, he has never put up more at least 20 points in a season in his entire professional career, spanning the NHL, AHL, and even college hockey.

The Bruins signed Forbort as an unrestricted free agent during the 2021 offseason. The deal is the biggest of his career, carrying an AAV of $3 million over three years. He still has one year remaining following this season.

The Bruins have a very deep defensive core and Forbort is a player they can count on in a bottom-pairing role. Whatever happens this season with the Bruins playoff run, they are going to have a cap crunch next season and Forbort could be the odd man out.

In his career, Forbort has played 461 games for the Kings, Calgary Flames, Jets, and Bruins and compiled 17 goals and 91 points in that span.