Canucks place Derek Forbort on injured reserve

The Vancouver Canucks have placed defenseman Derek Forbort on their injured reserve, the team announced on Wednesday afternoon. 

The move is retroactive to Vancouver’s 3–1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, when Forbort last played. The 33-year-old will now miss the Canucks’ next two games against Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks, but would be eligible to return for Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Capitals and Capital One Arena. 

With the move, Victor Mancini will likely remain on the blueline for the Canucks, and could continue to play an elevated role, even as Forbort works his way back from the injury. 

Forbort joined the Canucks on a one-year contract ahead of the 2024-25 season, and played regularly through the chaotic, and disappointing year that saw the Canucks miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing fifth in the Pacific Division. 

Ahead of this season, he signed another one-year deal, with a $500,000 raise to bring his average-annual-value to $2 million. 

Last season also saw him miss time in the early stages of the campaign, as he took a personal leave after the passing of his father, and later on suffered a lower-body injury in practice. As such, he amassed just four games before mid-December. 

Through Forbort’s NHL career, he has played 552 games, scoring 19 goals and 106 points as a defensive-defenseman, while also logging significant minutes on the penalty kill. 

As for filling the potential vacancy in the lineup, the Canucks could opt to bring Pierre-Olivier Joseph off the injured reserve, or make a callup from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. 

Currently in their first season under head coach Adam Foote, the Canucks won their season opener against the Calgary Flames, but have since dropped the two following games against the Oilers and St. Louis Blues, as they look ahead to Thursday’s game against Dallas.