On July 28, 2021, Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney signed a big, rugged defenseman to a three-year deal that many thought did not move the needle for a Bruins defensive corps that needed some size and physicality. At the time, the Bruins searched for a left-shot defenseman to pair with their top defender Charlie McAvoy. Derek Forbort had a reputation as a stout penalty killer, but a top-pair D-man? Yikes.
The experiment with Forbort and McAvoy went about as well as expected. Forbort, who is not known for his offensive ability, scored four goals in the first 14 games, but the 6-foot-4, 220-pound blue liner struggled in five-on-five play with added ice time and responsibility. The Bruins were asking too much of Forbort.
The Minnesota native has been a pillar for the Bruins. Since moving down to third-pair defense, mostly paired with Connor Clifton, Forbort has excelled. The 30-year-old had 100 blocked shots and 133 hits last season. During the Bruins’ hot start in 2022-23, Forbort has arguably been Boston’s best penalty killer and already has 18 blocks and 27 hits. Unfortunately, his last blocked shot broke his finger against Pittsburgh Tuesday night. Head Coach Jim Montgomery says the injury requires surgery, and Forbort will be “week-to-week.” It is a tough loss for a Bruins team that has won nine of ten to start the season.
The Bruins have taken 18 of 20 points without their top defenseman McAvoy. Hampus Lindholm has picked up much of the slack in McAvoy’s absence, but it has been Forbort and his partner Clifton. He has quietly become one of the better defensive pairs statistically in the National Hockey League. Forbort is a shot-blocking machine, as evidenced by his nine-block performance in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Carolina last May. Forbort is a stay-at-home defenseman that sacrifices his body for the team and does the little things that help the team win. In the first nine games of the season, Forbort was averaging 20:21 of ice time. Pretty good for a third-pair guy. In his absence, the Bruins will need someone to fill the void left by Forbort, especially on the penalty kill. The Bruins are the top team in the league shorthanded at 94.6 percent success, mainly due to Forbort’s strong play.
The next four games for Boston will be challenging. The Bruins face teams with good offensive talent who could cause issues for the Bruins’ penalty-killing units without Forbort. The Rangers (22 percent), Toronto (26 percent), St. Louis, and Calgary (each 23 percent) all have dangerous power plays, and the Bruins will be tested.
There haven’t been many negatives in the first ten games for Boston, but injuries have been one of them. The Bruins’ depth has been impressive. David Krejci, goaltender Jeremy Swayman, and now Forbort are all out of the lineup to go along with McAvoy, who could be close to returning. It will be interesting to see how big of a loss under-the-radar Derek Forbort is.
