Bruins make intriguing roster move with Derek Forbort
It’s been almost two and a half months since Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort has suited up in game action.
Battling multiple injuries all year, Forbort’s struggles were downright undeniable, and ultimately led to the Bruins’ deadline day move for then-Columbus defenseman Andrew Peeke. Speaking after the trade for Peeke, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney seemed to indicate — and indicate strongly at that — that Forbort’s season was over.
But Tuesday has come with an interesting development on that front, with Forbort officially assigned to AHL Providence on what the Bruins are calling an LTI (long-term injury) conditioning loan.
Forbort was even on the ice for Providence’s practice, according to Mark Divver.
Derek Forbort leads the stretch pic.twitter.com/p11QUOkymu
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) April 16, 2024
What’s interesting about this is that when Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery was first asked for an update on the 32-year-old Forbort, Montgomery was quick to note that Forbort wasn’t even in the week-to-week stage of his recovery from an undisclosed surgery. But when Forbort remained on the ice — even in a non-contact sweater — last weekend, Montgomery seemed to walk back those comments just a bit and opened the door for Forbort to become an option for his club.
“Sometime down the road, hopefully, he’s a possibility,” Montgomery said of Forbort.
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Forbort’s move to Providence does open the door for the 6-foot-3 defenseman to potentially play in games and test his recovery, and there’s some obvious math at play there. For one, the P-Bruins have two more games on their regular-season schedule, whereas the Bruins have just one. Providence’s final two games are this Friday and Sunday, too, while the B’s wrap things up tonight. That’s an extra three days of potential on-ice work and ramp-up for Forbort.
There’s also the cap gymnastics involved, as the Bruins currently have Forbort on the long-term injured reserve and almost certainly wouldn’t have the space to activate his $3 million for Game 82, even if he were considered a legitimate option now compared to say Friday and/or Sunday. In the playoffs, the cap is not an issue for the Bruins.
Playing in Providence would also give the Bruins an up-close, more consequence-free chance to get a look at where Forbort is at. As previously noted, Forbort’s on-ice struggles upon his return back to the Boston lineup on Jan. 20 through Mar. 2 were noticeable, with Forbort on the ice for a defense-high 3.99 goals against per 60 over that 15-game sample.
With Forbort down, the Bruins have relied on a left-side rotation that has featured Matt Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, Parker Wotherspoon, and Mason Lohrei (since sent to Providence), and have even moved the right-shooting Kevin Shattenkirk to the left side at various points during the stretch run.