The Vancouver Canucks solidified their defence on Tuesday as they re-signed 33-year-old Derek Forbort. The left-shot defender agreed to a one-year contract extension, which will carry a cap hit of $2 million. Overall, bringing back Forbort is a low-risk, high-reward move which will benefit the Canucks during the 2025-26 season.
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Forbort is the exact type of player Vancouver needs on their blue line. He is steady defensively and was one of the league's top penalty-killing defensemen last year. Forbort is also a leader in the dressing room, and even got the chance to wear an "A" on his jersey during the 2024-25 campaign.
Focusing on the penalty kill, few skaters had better analytics than Forbort last season. According to Natural Stat Trick, his 3.0 goals against per 60 were the lowest among all defenders who played at least 100 shorthanded minutes. Forbort also finished top ten among defensemen in shots against per 60, and top 20 in high-danger scoring chances against per 60, as well as scoring chances per 60.
Forbort also had a significant impact at even-strength. According to Evolving-Hockey, he led all defenders with a 4.5 Even-Strength Defense Goals Above Replacement (EVD) while his Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 0.4 ranked fourth among Canucks defenders. In short, his defensive impact was significant enough to balance out his lack of offence, which is why he was a valuable part of the lineup last season.
Lastly, Forbort's ability to build chemistry with young players will be key during the 2025-26. He was able to develop some chemistry with Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini, and could be tasked with helping Tom Willander adjust to the NHL next year. A former high-draft pick himself, Forbort can also help these young players off the ice as they adapt to life as full-time NHLers.
In the end, re-signing Forbort was a smart move by the Canucks. He already has familiarity with the organization, and has shown he can play on either the left or right side. Carrying a $2 million cap hit, Forbort's contract could be one of the best valued deals Vancouver signs during the 2025 off-season.
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