The news is not good concerning Vancouver Canucks defenceman Derek Forbort.
Forbort left practice early on Monday, per Harman Dayal of The Athletic, after suffering an apparent leg injury. He hasn’t been seen on the ice since.
Derek Forbort got shaken up during a drill and has left practice early favouring his leg #Canucks
— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) November 4, 2024
The injury appears to be a long-term one for the 32-year-old blueliner.
Canucks insider Irfaan Gaffar is reporting that Forbort will miss multiple weeks. Rick Tocchet described the injury as “week-to-week” when asked after practice, per Dayal.
Sounds like Forbort is going to be out weeks not days. Could be over a month. https://t.co/edlQ5FA36X
— Irfaan Gaffar (@irfgaffar) November 6, 2024
Derek Forbort is our week-to-week and Dakota Joshua is unlikely to play tomorrow against the Kings according to Tocchet #Canucks
— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) November 6, 2024
Forbort has appeared in just four games for the Canucks since being signed in free agency last summer. The rugged 6-foot-4 defenceman appeared in Vancouver’s first three games before taking a leave of absence following the death of his father. He returned for Saturday’s game in San Jose, which was his 500th game in the NHL.
Playing primarily on the Canucks’ third pair, Forbort is averaging 16:30 of ice time per game. Where he shines is on the penalty kill, though, as he leads the team in average shorthanded ice time (3:07).