By: Kevin O’Keefe | Follow me on Twitter @Kevin_OKeefe89
Wasting no time, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has signed Defenseman Derek Forbort to a 3-year $3-million per year deal. The 15th overall pick in 2010 gives the bruins some much-needed size on the back end at 6-foot-4 and 219-pounds. The left-shot 29-year-old defenseman is coming off a 1-year $1-million contract where he averaged a little over 20 minutes per game playing for the Winnipeg Jets and ranked 5th in blocked-shots among defensemen in the NHL. Forbort finished the season with 2 goals and 10 assists with a plus-1 rating in 56-games-played.
Forbort is more of a stay-at-home defenseman with a bit of offensive upside. He fills a need for the Bruins after losing Jeremy Lauzon to the Seattle Kraken at this year’s expansion draft. Like newly signed defenseman Mike Reilly, Forbort is the type of player who can play top-4 minutes but would be better suited for a bottom-pairing role. He played some hefty minutes in a second pairing role for Winnipeg last season and was a staple for the Jet’s penalty kill. Expect to see Forbort spend a significant amount of time killing penalties for Boston this season.
Forbort adds a bit of size and physicality that the blue line has desperately needed. His defensive-style game will add a boost to the team that is rich with puck movers. Forbort would be better suited playing on Boston’s third pairing. Even though he is a left-shot, Forbort can play the right-side as well. Slotting him in on the third pairing alongside Mike Reilly would be a great bottom-pairing for Boston. The Bruins still need to be aggressive in signing another left-shot defenseman that is a true top-4 guy. Keep an eye on this, as the Bruins may not be done here. Welcome to Boston Forbort, wear the spoked-b with pride!
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