Welcome to The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site’s player preview series for the 2025–26 season. In these articles, we’ll preview the players who are expected to play for the Canucks in the 2025–26 season. This edition will focus on defenceman Derek Forbort, who re-signed with the organization for one season.
Forbort's 2024-25 Season
Forbort had an up and down first season in Vancouver. He dealt with multiple injuries and took some time away from the team due to the death of his father. In the end, he played 54 games, recording 11 points while throwing 65 hits.
While Forbort did have to battle through some adversity, he had a significant impact whenever he was on the ice. The 33-year-old was a key member of the Canucks penalty kill, and was partnered with young players in Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini to help them adjust to the NHL. As mentioned, he did sign a one-year, $2 million contract extension after showing just how valuable he can be to the lineup on a nightly basis.
Forbort's 2024-25 Letter Grade
At the end of the season, Forbort received a B+ for his performance last year. He had an impact on the third pair, and was one of Vancouver's most reliable penalty killers in 2024-25. Ultimately, Forbort brought excess value to the organization both on the ice and in the locker room.
Forbort's 2025-26 Predictions
While the Canucks do have a bit of a logjam on the blue line, Forbort is likely to be a consistent member of the third pair. He can play on both sides and built some chemistry at the end of the season with "Junior" Pettersson. Forbort should also see plenty of time on the penalty kill, just like he did last year.
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With a compressed schedule, it is possible that Forbort takes on a bigger role next season. This could mean more even strength ice time on certain nights in order to help balance the amount of minutes others are playing. While Forbort did average 17:06 in 2024-25, he could be closer to averaging 18 minutes by the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
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