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Danton Heinen

Blue Jackets Recall Danton Heinen

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When the Blue Jackets placed winger Miles Wood on injured reserve earlier today, they opened up a roster spot.  They didn’t waste much time filling it as the team announced that they’ve recalled winger Danton Heinen from AHL Cleveland.  They still have one open slot on their 23-player roster.

The 30-year-old hasn’t been in the organization for very long as he was only acquired by Columbus back on Monday as part of the Yegor Chinakhov deal.  However, his inclusion was more for salary-matching purposes rather than being a specific target as Heinen has gone through waivers unclaimed twice already this season.

Heinen has split this season between the NHL and AHL, playing in 13 games at each level, including one with Cleveland following the trade.  In the minors, he has been dominant, notching six goals and 12 assists in his first taste of minor league action since 2017-18.  Meanwhile, in the NHL with Pittsburgh, he has a goal and an assist while averaging 11:40 per night of ice time.

When Heinen sees any game action with Columbus, it stands to reason that his playing time will be similarly limited.  But he does have a strong track record of being productive in a bottom-six role as evidenced by his career numbers of 243 points in 579 games despite an ATOI below the 14-minute mark.  Given their growing list of injuries, he should get a chance to add to those numbers before long.

Penguins Acquire Yegor Chinakhov From Blue Jackets

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Forward Yegor Chinakhov will finally have his trade request honored. According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Columbus Blue Jackets are trading Chinakhov for draft capital. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman later shared that Chinakhov is headed to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In exchange, Pittsburgh is sending Columbus winger Danton Heinen, the St. Louis Blues’ 2026 second-round pick, and the Washington Capitals’ 2027 third-round pick. The Blue Jackets confirmed the deal.

Chinakhov’s story in Columbus is well known up to this point. The 21st overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has been with the Blue Jackets for much of the last five years, though the relationship began souring last season after Columbus hired Dean Evason as the team’s head coach.

Before Evason’s hire, during the 2023-24 season, Chinakhov had the strongest campaign of his career. The young Russian finished ninth on the team in scoring with 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games, averaging 15:10 of ice time per game. Had he played the whole season at the same pace, Chinakhov would have finished with around 25 goals and 45 points.

Still, despite the strong offensive performance, there were legitimate concerns with other areas of Chinakhov’s game, particularly on defense. He finished that season with an 89.4% on-ice save percentage at even strength despite starting a majority of his shifts in the offensive zone. Unfortunately, nothing has improved since.

Since Evason took over behind the bench, Chinakhov’s ice time has been limited. He has yet to replicate his output from the 2023-24 campaign, scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 59 games since, averaging 13:03 of ice time. His possession metrics have improved mildly, though his metrics on the defensive side of the puck have continued to fall.

Chinakhov became so disheartened with his role with the organization that he eventually requested a trade from Columbus last summer. There were reportedly teams interested in his services, though General Manager Don Waddell was only willing to include him in a player-for-player swap, thus limiting his market. By the time that preseason action had begun, there were some indications that Evason and Chinakhov had improved their relationship.

Regardless of the perceived improvements to their relationship, that hasn’t turned into more ice time for Chinakhov. In fact, he’s averaged the lowest ATOI of his young career this season. Now, instead of being isolated to a fourth-line role with the Blue Jackets, he has the opportunity to crack a middle-six role with a different Metropolitan Division team.

Given their recent play, it’s highly unlikely that the Penguins are going to break up either of their top two lines. However, Chinakhov would be an immediate improvement on Ville Koivunen, who has scored one goal and four points in 25 games on the team’s third line. Additionally, Chinakhov could find his way onto Pittsburgh’s second power-play unit.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images. 

Penguins Activate Blake Lizotte, Reassign Danton Heinen

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Dec. 29th: Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review reports that Heinen has cleared waivers and has been reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Dec. 28th: The Penguins announced they’ve activated center Blake Lizotte from injured reserve and placed winger Danton Heinen on waivers in the corresponding move. Since Heinen’s waiver placement comes in conjunction with an IR activation, he can be designated non-roster until tomorrow while he’s on the wire to open a roster spot.

Lizotte has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury for the past few weeks. He last played on Dec. 7 against the Stars, then was placed on IR two days later.

The 28-year-old was a pleasant surprise for the Pens last year after inking a two-year, $3.7MM deal in free agency. In 59 appearances, he tied his career high in goals (11) and won 51.2% of his draws while averaging 12:43 of ice time per game.

That offensive production hasn’t quite carried over into this year, but the high-energy pivot has still scored five points in 27 games while serving as part of one of the league’s better checking lines. His unit with Noel Acciari and Connor Dewar may not generate much offensively, but they’ve limited opponents to just 2.10 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.

Lizotte and Dewar also comprise Pittsburgh’s top penalty kill unit. He’s been a big part of a respectable shorthanded complement that clicks at 81.1%, 14th in the league.

Meanwhile, Heinen lands on the waiver wire for the second time this season. The veteran of 579 NHL games was a surprising cut from Penguins training camp and, as expected, cleared without incident, given his $2.25MM cap hit.

The versatile 30-year-old won’t be happy with today’s news, though. He’s been outright dominant in the AHL, rattling off 17 points in 12 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He’s gotten a few recalls throughout the year, and although he’s been a healthy scratch in three straight, he’s gotten into 13 NHL contests for Pittsburgh with a goal and an assist.

Heinen’s high cap hit remains a likely deterrent for a claim, but given his minor-league production, it stands to reason he can still be a fourth-line piece at worst on more than a few teams. With a base salary of $775K this season – most of his money was paid out via a preseason signing bonus – he wouldn’t be walking away from much if he refused to report to WBS and triggered a contract termination. That would allow him to catch on with another team down the stretch on a new deal with a lower cap impact.

Penguins Recall Danton Heinen, Sam Poulin; Evgeni Malkin Out Week-To-Week

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9:04 a.m.: Malkin and Lizotte are destined for longer absences than the minimum ones required by IR. The team later announced both have been downgraded to week-to-week with their upper-body injuries.

8:55 a.m.: The Penguins announced they’ve again added forwards Danton Heinen and Samuel Poulin to the NHL roster, marking each player’s second recall of the season from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They placed forwards Evgeni Malkin and Blake Lizotte on injured reserve in corresponding moves.

Heinen was one of the most surprising training camp cuts across the league. The 30-year-old is in the back half of a two-year, $4.5MM deal he signed with the Canucks as a free agent in 2024. After scoring six goals and 18 points in 51 games for Vancouver, he was sent to Pittsburgh in the deal that saw the Nucks acquire Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Heinen was a familiar pickup for the Pens, having scored a career-high 18 goals for them in the 2021-22 season.

For his $2.25MM cap hit, he was reasonably productive down the stretch. He totaled a 3-8–11 scoring line in 28 games and was viewed as likely trade bait entering this season as the Pens looked to clear out some veterans. After all, the 2014 fourth-round pick has been an NHL fixture for years now and hadn’t seen extended time out of the lineup since spending most of 2016-17, his first professional season, in the minors.

Pittsburgh hasn’t shown a propensity to keep veterans in the lineup for the sake of doing so this season, though. With Heinen not serving as much of a fit in their long-term plans – or short-term ones, for that matter – they opted to waive him at the beginning of this season with no desirable trade options on the table. The 6’2″, 187-lb forward has proved he still has NHL talent, lighting up the scoresheet in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a 6-12–18 scoring line in just 12 appearances.

Heinen spent most of November on the NHL roster as a result of injuries to Noel Acciari and Justin Brazeau, both of whom were recently activated from IR. He was returned to WBS on Nov. 30 after scoring one assist in nine games. He saw 12:15 of ice time per contest, getting some occasional reps on both special teams. While his production wasn’t impressive, his two-way impacts were spectacular. Among players with at least 50 5-on-5 minutes for the Pens this year, Heinen boasts the highest share of shot attempts (58.2%), expected goals (59.7%), scoring chances (60.0%), and high-danger chances (61.1%). He managed that with a 43.8 offensive zone start percentage, 17th out of 26 skaters.

Poulin has been similarly productive in the minors. He’s the only WBS skater with more points than Heinen this season, on track for a career year with nine goals and 20 points in 21 games. The 2019 first-round pick is now 24 years old and has aged out of being a top prospect, but he’s proving he can hold down a job as solid organizational depth and be a reliable call-up. He got into two games for the Pens last month on his call-up, recording a -2 rating and six shot attempts while averaging 13:49 of ice time.

Both will be on hand to add to their games-played totals this season tonight against the Ducks as the injury bug continues to bite Pittsburgh’s forward group. Malkin already missed Sunday’s game against the Stars with an upper-body injury and remains listed as day-to-day. Before landing on IR, the future Hall-of-Fame had rattled off two goals and three assists in his last two games. The IR placement technically only rules him out of tonight’s game. Since his last appearance was on Dec. 4, he’ll be eligible to be activated ahead of Thursday’s game against the Canadiens.

Lizotte’s IR placement comes as a surprise. He played nearly 14 minutes in Sunday’s shootout loss in Dallas, recording an assist in the process. He didn’t leave the game, and it’s unclear when he got banged up. The team hasn’t assigned any injury designation other than his IR placement. He’s not eligible for reinstatement until Dec. 14, so whatever’s going on with him will cause him to miss at least three games.

Lizotte, who turns 28 on Saturday, signed a two-year, $3.7MM pact with Pittsburgh in 2024 after being non-tendered by the Kings. He tied his career-high 11 goals last season despite being limited to 59 games and has continued to be quite valuable in a fourth-line role this season. He’s managed a +1 rating despite being used almost exclusively in the defensive zone at 5-on-5 and has contributed a 3-2–5 scoring line in 27 showings. He’s averaging 13:57 of ice time per game and is the Pens’ top penalty-killing forward, likely influencing their decision to add Heinen back into the fold. With Joona Koppanen in the minors and Filip Hallander and Rickard Rakell still on IR, Heinen is ticketed for a job on Pittsburgh’s top two shorthanded units.

Penguins Assign Tristan Broz And Danton Heinen To AHL

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The Penguins have freed up a pair of spots on their active roster in advance of Monday’s game against Philadelphia.  The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned forwards Tristan Broz and Danton Heinen to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Broz was recalled back on Monday to get his first taste of NHL action.  He made one appearance, recording two shots on goal in 11:30 of playing time on Wednesday against Buffalo.  The 23-year-old has been productive in the minors, however, collecting eight goals and five assists in 18 games, putting him a little ahead of his offensive pace from last season when he notched 19 goals and 18 helpers in 59 outings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

As for Heinen, he’s in his second season with the team after being acquired from Vancouver back in February.  He cleared waivers back in training camp and did quite well in the minors, picking up 10 goals and five assists in 14 games.  That earned him a recall four weeks ago.  Heinen played in nine games but was limited to just one assist.  Had he played in one more game or been up for three more days, he’d have needed to pass through waivers unclaimed again to return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Accordingly, it’s not too surprising they’ve decided to send him down to ensure he’ll remain available for recall later in the season.

As a result of these moves, Pittsburgh only has 11 healthy forwards on their active roster.  That suggests that there is a recall or two coming on Monday – perhaps winger Rutger McGroarty – or one or more forwards are ready to come off injured reserve.   At the moment, four forwards are on IR for the Penguins – Noel Acciari, Justin Brazeau, Filip Hallander, and Rickard Rakell.  The first two have been skating and could be candidates to be activated.

Penguins Announce Multiple Roster Moves

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted around their roster. Most notably, reigning AHL ’Goalie of the Month’ Sergei Murashov has been recalled to the NHL lineup. Pittsburgh has also recalled forward Danton Heinen and defenseman Ryan Graves. To make space for those moves, the Penguins have placed forwards Noel Acciari and Justin Brazeau, and goaltender Tristan Jarry, on injured reserve. They have also assigned defenseman Owen Pickering to the minor-leagues.

These moves will most notably provide updates on the injuries to Acciari and Brazeau. Acciari left Pittsburgh’s Monday loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period. It wasn’t exactly clear when he sustained his injury, though the team designated it as an upper-body injury. He only played in two shifts before the injury. Brazeau sustained his injury in last Thursday’s win over the Minnesota Wild. He was designated as out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, but will now be forced to miss a third-straight game on Thursday.

Despite clarity around Acciari and Brazeau, there seems to be no indication of exactly what Jarry is facing. He heads to IR with an undisclosed injury and will be forced to sit out of at least the next three games. In the interim, Arturs Silovs will serve as Pittsburgh’s starting goaltender, while Murashov steps in as backup.

That’s incredibly exciting for the red-hot Murashov, who has posted an impressive 1.67 goals-against-average across his last three games. He sits with a .931 save percentage and 1.73 goals-against-average in seven games this season – both the highest in the league among goalies with more than five starts. Murashov has truly looked the part, taking full advantage of a clear starter’s role while Joel Blomqvist recovers from injury. That performance will now earn the 21-year-old Russian his first chance at an NHL role. Murashov posted a .913 Sv% and 2.64 GAA in 16 AHL games, and a .922 Sv% and 2.40 GAA in 26 ECHL games, last season. He’s a sharp bet who Pittsburgh could be eager to test out.

Backing this slew of moves is a shift at the bottom of Pittsburgh’s lineup. Pickering will head to the minor-leagues after posting no scoring and a minus-three in four games on his latest NHL recall. He’s been a stronger play in the minors, where he’s racked up four points and a plus-four in seven games. Replacing Pickering will be Graves, who racked up three points and 13 shots on goal in his last four AHL games. He now sits with seven points and a plus-nine in 10 games on the AHL season, and will be rwarded with a chance to fill bottom-pair minutes for Pittsburgh.

Heinen will fill an opening left by Brazeau. He leads the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in scoring with five goals and 14 points in 10 games. That includes a recent six-game scoring streak that saw him rack up 12 points. Heinen is a veteran of nine NHL seasons. He’s amassed 96 goals and 241 points in 566 career appearances, including a career-best of 16 goals and 47 points in 77 games with the 2017-18 Boston Bruins.

Waivers: 10/2/25

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There are 22 new names on the waiver wire today, PuckPedia reports. Everyone on the wire yesterday passed through aside from goaltender Pheonix Copley, who’s heading to the Lightning from the Kings.

Calgary Flames

F Rory Kerins
G Ivan Prosvetov
D Ilya Solovyov

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Daemon Hunt

Edmonton Oilers

D Cam Dineen
D Riley Stillman

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Sebastian Aho
F Danton Heinen
D Philip Kemp
F Joona Koppanen
G Filip Larsson
F Valtteri Puustinen

Seattle Kraken

F Ben Meyers
F Mitchell Stephens

Utah Mammoth

F Ben McCartney
D Scott Perunovich

Vancouver Canucks

F Vitali Kravtsov

Vegas Golden Knights

D Dylan Coghlan
F Tanner Laczynski
F Raphael Lavoie
D Jaycob Megna
F Cole Schwindt

Heinen, Kerins, and Kravtsov jump out as the most notable skaters from the group. Heinen is one of the first veteran surprises to reach the wire this fall. The pending UFA costs $2.25MM against the cap and was a speculative trade candidate as the rebuilding Penguins look to shed their veterans on expiring deals. If he clears, he’ll still count for $1.1MM against Pittsburgh’s cap. It’s not as if he’s coming off a catastrophic 2024-25 season. He made 79 appearances split between the Canucks and Penguins, recording a 9-20–29 scoring line while averaging 13:27 per game. Those are all a few ticks below his career averages, but still serviceable bottom-six production for a reasonable price. He may not fit into the Penguins’ plans, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him claimed despite his cap impact.

Kerins has been a high-ceiling name in the Flames’ system for the past couple of years with quite strong AHL showings. He got his first taste of NHL action last year in a five-game call-up, looking like he belonged with four assists and a +3 rating while averaging 12:14 per game. The 5’10” pivot isn’t a natural fit in a fourth-line role, though, and Calgary doesn’t have an open spot for him in its top nine. He’s a pending RFA without arbitration rights on a two-way deal with a league minimum cap hit – prime conditions for a claim – and had 33 goals and 61 points in 63 AHL games last year.

Kravtsov not making it to the final couple of days of camp is a surprise. Selected No. 9 overall in 2018, he was on the Canucks’ reserve list after he departed the NHL to return to Russia in 2023. He had a great showing for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League last year, leading the team with 27 goals in 66 games while adding 31 assists for 58 points. That was enough to generate mutual interest between the Canucks and Kravtsov to resume their relationship, and he signed a one-year, two-way deal in August. He’s due to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t hit 16 NHL games this year.

As for goalie-needy teams, Prosvetov might warrant some consideration after being passed over for Calgary’s backup job in favor of Devin Cooley. The 26-year-old has 24 NHL starts under his belt and was excellent in the KHL last year, managing a .920 SV% and 2.32 GAA in 38 games for CSKA Moscow.

Penguins Listening To Trade Offers For Most 2026 UFAs

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The Penguins are open to trading nearly every name on their roster entering the final season of their contract in 2025-26, aside from franchise center Evgeni Malkin, Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes Tuesday.

That list is comprised of forwards Noel Acciari, Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen, and Blake Lizotte; defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok; and goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Among that group, Acciari, Hayes, and Nedeljkovic are the ones Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas would most like to extract some value from rather than hanging onto them in the final years of their deals. There is one other soon-to-be pending UFA not included above. That’s depth defenseman Ryan Shea, who signed a one-way extension for 2025-26 a few months ago and is expected to slot into a consistent third-pairing slot next season – if not higher – given the organization’s dearth of blue-liners.

It’s unsurprising news about a team labeled as the league’s only true seller entering the 2025 offseason. Moving on from the forwards listed above wouldn’t pose much of an issue for the Pens, who have more youngsters available up front who can handle internal promotions next year, whether that’s out of the gate or closer to the trade deadline. Filip Hallander, Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, and Samuel Poulin are all forwards under 25 years old who can likely handle full-time or fringe NHL duties next season after spending most of 2024-25 in the minors or in Europe.

Of the group mentioned, it appears Lizotte is the only name Dubas would consider extending to continue serving as a depth piece amid what will likely be a years-long retool if no trade materializes. While not “untouchable,” the Penguins like the above-average offense he provided in a fourth-line role this past year (11-9–20 in 59 GP) and could be open to keeping him around for another year or two.

None of those names should be expected to garner the Penguins anything more than a decent mid-round draft pick. Heinen was the best of the bunch offensively for the Pens in 2024-25, producing at a 32-point pace after being re-acquired from the Canucks in the Marcus Pettersson trade. The 29-year-old does have spotty 15-to-20-goal upside and is usually good for around 30 points, so he could be well-positioned to generate the most valuable return, speculatively as high as a late second-round pick or similarly valued prospect.

Moving on from Nedeljkovic would cause the most significant domino effect on the NHL roster, but according to Yohe, that isn’t an obstacle for a move. The team would be perfectly “content” from trading the veteran backup (or higher-priced struggling starter Tristan Jarry instead) while promoting top prospect Joel Blomqvist to a full-time NHL role in 2025-26 and letting 21-year-old Sergei Murashov take over as the minor-league starter in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Vancouver Canucks Acquire Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor

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The Vancouver Canucks’ trading appetite hadn’t been satiated after sending J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers. In the early hours of the morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they’ve traded defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor to the Canucks for forwards Danton Heinen and Melvin Fernström, defenseman Vincent Desharnais, and the conditional 2025 first-round pick previously acquired from the Rangers in the Miller swap.

Pettersson’s seven-year tenure with the Penguins ended with him scoring 16 goals and 141 points in 442 regular-season games and four assists in 21 playoff contests. He blossomed into a top-four defenseman in Pittsburgh, regularly logging more than 19 minutes of ice time per game.

The Skelleftea, Sweden should fit in quite well on the Canucks’ blue line. He’s totaled more than 130 blocked shots and 120 hits in each season since 2022-23 and averaged a 91.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength throughout his career. Furthermore, his possession metrics are well above average for a defenseman with a career 51.3% CorsiFor% at even strength.

Vancouver is in the middle of the pack regarding CorsiFor% and goals-against-per-game average. Pettersson should help fill both of these needs with the Canucks and the glaring hole in the top four of the team’s defensive core behind Quinn Hughes.

The Canucks will also acquire a flexible middle-six option in O’Connor. The pending unrestricted free agent had spent his entire career with the Penguins up to this point scoring 30 goals and 66 points in 210 games.

O’Connor may have found his offensive ceiling last year with 16 goals and 33 points in 79 games but he still gives the Canucks a winger that can play in all situations. It’s unlikely he’ll find himself on either powerplay unit in Vancouver but O’Connor could find some staying power on the team’s penalty kill.

Outside of the conditional first-round pick, the Canucks primarily sent a collection of spare parts to the Penguins. Heinen and Desharnais are signed through next season but aren’t considered long-term pieces for the Penguins. Heinen had scored six goals and 18 points in 51 games for the Canucks while Desharnais had tallied three assists in 34 contests.

Fernström is in his first full season in the Swedish Hockey League with Örebro HK after being selected 93rd overall by the Canucks in last year’s draft. He possesses a strong hockey IQ and has already shown the ability to score against at a relatively young age with three goals and eight points in 35 contests.

The trade as a whole should answer several questions for both teams. The Penguins traded their highest-value rental well before the trade deadline, so we’ll see how active they are in the next few weeks before and after the 4 Nations Face-Off. In Vancouver, the team has acquired several pieces in the last 24 hours so we’ll see how the locker room responds to all the changes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports images.

Canucks Sign Jake DeBrusk, Four Others

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The Canucks have signed forward Jake DeBrusk to a seven-year deal with a $5.5MM cap hit, the team announced. They’re also bringing in depth winger Kiefer Sherwood on a two-year deal worth $1.5MM annually. Continuing to add to their forward core, the team also announced a two-year, $4.5MM contract for Danton Heinen. Switching over the blue line, the team has announced a one-year, $1.5MM contract with defenseman Derek Forbort. They later brought in center Nathan Smith on a one-year deal, per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal.

DeBrusk has a no-move clause for the first three years of his contract, per TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. It converts to a 15-team no-trade clause for the remainder of the deal. The full breakdown of the deal can be found via PuckPedia.

DeBrusk is finally moving on from the Boston Bruins, after spending much of the last three seasons surrounded by trade rumors. He’s found his scoring groove in that stretch, kicked off by a strong 25 goals and 42 points in 2021-22. DeBrusk followed that up with a career-high 50 points, while tying his high of 27 goals, and then posted 40 points this year. The performances have left a strong hint of upside left untouched in DeBrusk, who should be poised for a prime position in Vancouver’s top-nine after Elias Lindholm’s signing in Boston. It will be DeBrusk’s first NHL experience outside of Boston, having recorded all 266 points and 465 games of his career with the Bruins.

He’ll be flanked by a trio of depth forwards in Heinen, Sherwood, and Smith. Of the bunch, it’s Heinen who’s earned the most recent acclaim, having posted 17 goals and 36 points with the Bruins this season. It was a standout year after Heinen managed just 22 points last season – painting him as an inconsistent but serviceable third-line winger. That’s exactly the role he’ll be asked to fill, in place of Ilya Mikheyev, who was moved to the Chicago Blackhawks. Sherwood should also earn a role in the wake of that trade, with a breakout 10 goals and 27 points this year putting him in a good position to fill Sam Lafferty’s role on Vancouver’s bottom line. He’ll face competition from a long list of Canucks prospects, as well as from Smith – who spent last year posting 31 points in 60 games with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners.

Finally, Forbort will provide the stout veteran presence on the blue-line left by Ian Cole. Forbort, also moving over from Boston, has signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Canucks – following a meager four assists in 35 games this season. He faced injuries for much of the year, though, and still found a way to make serviceable defensive impacts when he stepped into the lineup. He’ll be exactly what the doctor ordered for a Canucks team in need of firm defensive depth.

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