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Derek Forbort

Atlantic Notes: Kuzmenko, Boucher, Bruins, Allen

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Free agent winger Andrei Kuzmenko appears to have narrowed his list of teams he’s considering signing with for next season and the Senators are on that list, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion indicated recently they were interested in the 25-year-old who sits second in KHL scoring this season with 20 goals and 33 assists in 45 games.  Kuzmenko is expected to wait until after the season to sign, ensuring he’ll be capped at a one-year, entry-level pact while allowing him to be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the 2023 offseason.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with Ottawa, Dorion mentioned in an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link) that winger Tyler Boucher won’t be playing right away with OHL Ottawa. The Senators recently signed the 2021 first-round pick, ending his college eligibility but he is dealing with a lingering injury that will take a week or two to recover.
  • The Bruins announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Derek Forbort has cleared COVID protocol, missing only the minimum five days. His return will be a welcome one with John Moore being injured against Montreal on Wednesday and Matt Grzelcyk recently entering COVID protocol himself.  Meanwhile, forward Trent Frederic isn’t ready to return yet from his upper-body injury while winger Nick Foligno has resumed skating as he works his way back from his lower-body issue.
  • The Canadiens announced that goaltender Jake Allen has returned to Montreal to undergo further evaluation on an upper-body injury sustained on Wednesday in Boston. Allen was placed on injured reserve yesterday and will miss at least a week while the team won’t return back home until January 27th when their 10-game road trip (due to scheduling changes) comes to an end.

Boston Bruins Place Three In COVID Protocol

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Jan 13: Matt Grzelcyk has now entered the protocol, along with another staff member. The Bruins recalled Tyler Lewington and Jack Ahcan today; the former would be making his Bruins debut should he enter the lineup as expected.

Jan 10: The Boston Bruins placed defensemen Connor Clifton, Derek Forbort, and a team staff member into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol within an hour of puck drop of their game against the Washington Capitals tonight, per a team tweet.

In their absences, it’s likely that Urho Vaakanainen and John Moore will make up the bottom pair for tonight’s game. Warmups have already begun and the Bruins have no other defensemen on the active roster to fill in.

Forbort, who’s in his first season as a Bruin, has seven points through 31 games this year and has bounced around the team’s defensive pairings. He offers little offensively, but he’s had really good defensive impacts since joining Boston. His ability and versatility will certainly be missed while he’s in protocol.

Clifton has played in just 22 games, scoring two points, but he’s also been rather reliable defensively when in the lineup. Vaakanainen and Moore will need to play a responsible game in his and Forbort’s absences.

If all goes well, Clifton and Forbort could return January 18th against Carolina, the team’s first game after the conclusion of what could be five-day quarantines for them.

Coyle, Forbort Expected To Step Into Top Roles For Bruins

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With the unexpected departure of David Krejci, the unknown status of injured Tuukka Rask, and a shockingly busy first day of free agency that included adding a number of top names, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Boston Bruins and how they may look next season. With so many possible lineup combinations and the team having yet to even practice together once, it would be understandable to leave fans wondering how the team may be structured in 2021-22. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy is not afraid to hint at his plans. Speaking with beat writer Eric Russo, Cassidy was open about who he sees stepping into some of the most important vacancies in the Bruins lineup.

First and foremost on the minds of most is who will step into Krejci’s role as second line center, especially after Taylor Hall was re-signed following stellar production with Krejci and Craig Smith. Well, despite some speculation to the contrary, Occam’s Razor prevails. Third line center Charlie Coyle will indeed get the first shot at centering the second line, as Cassidy called him the “obvious choice”. Coyle may be coming off of the worst offensive season of his career, but the two-way forward will be healthy this season following off-season knee surgeries and will look to return to form, which is a player whose career full-season scoring pace is 40 points. Cassidy notes that with Hall and Smith having experience playing together and Coyle and Smith also having played together, the familiarity that the three would share makes it an easy initial choice as the team’s second line. However, Cassidy does note that free agent additions Erik Haula and Tomas Nosek both play their best at center as well and could be next in line if Coyle is not a fit.

On defense, while some were content with the Bruins’ most frequent top pair of Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy, not everyone was convinced. Count Cassidy among that group. The head coach opined that the role may have been asking too much of Grzelcyk. He believes that free agent addition Derek Forbort, who plays a much more defensive and physical style, could in fact be the better match with McAvoy. Cassidy stated that between competing for that role and likely playing alongside Brandon Carlo on the top penalty kill unit, Forbort will be expected to play “big minutes”. Of course, Forbort will have to prove himself worthy, as Grzelcyk has the advantage of being the incumbent. Cassidy noted that Mike Reilly will likely continue to play with Carlo, but that too could change if Grzelcyk is bumped from the top pair.

Elsewhere on the roster, Cassidy firmly stated his support for Connor Clifton as getting the first shot as the regular third pair right-handed defenseman in the wake of Kevan Miller’s retirement. However, he also noted that youngsters Jakub Zboril and Urho Vaakanainen as well as recovering veteran John Moore all have experience playing their off side and will compete for opportunity. In the bottom-six, Cassidy offered a vote of confidence for Jake DeBrusk retaining his starting job as third line left wing, while also advocating for top prospect Jack Studnicka to get a look for a roster spot. With the versatility of additions Haula, Nosek, and Nick Foligno, there are plenty of potential combinations on that third line and there is a high likelihood of a more offensive fourth line in Boston than in years with the overflow of the third line position battle matched with the likes of Curtis Lazar and Trent Frederic. In goal, Cassidy did not just announce free agent splurge Linus Ullmark as the new starter; in fact quite the contrary. Cassidy expects Ullmark and breakout rookie Jeremy Swayman “to compete for the majority of the starts.” While Ullmark was compensated like a starter by the Bruins in both salary and term, Cassidy notes that Swayman will be given a fair chance to “come in and potentially be the No. 1.”

How it all plays out in Boston remains to be seen, but Cassidy did not hold anything back about his thought and plans for the current roster. That should give fans of the Bruins and their Atlantic Division rivals something more concrete to consider as the days tick down to the start of the regular season.

Derek Forbort Signs With Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins have signed Derek Forbort to a three-year contract, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The deal is expected to carry an average annual value of $3MM. The veteran defenseman completes a new-look left side of the blue line that plagued the team last season.

The Boston Bruins were disappointed to lose Jeremy Lauzon in the Expansion Draft, but have added the player most similar in ability, but with more size and experience, albeit five years older. The 29-year-old Forbort addresses the Bruins need for physicality and penalty kill ability, one that was introduced before this past season with the departure of Zdeno Chara and now further emphasized by the loss of Lauzon. The 6’4″, 220-lb. defender plays a heavy, shutdown game. Forbort is also an elite shot-blocker and capable of moving the puck and contributing modest offense.

While Forbort may seem like a typical bottom pair, stay-at-home defenseman, that hasn’t generally been the case. Forbort has played over 20 minutes per game in four of his five NHL seasons and could be looked upon for an even greater role in Boston. With Matt Grzelcyk best-suited back on the second pair with Brandon Carlo and re-signed deadline addition Mike Reilly never playing on the top pair down the stretch or in the postseason, it would seem that Charlie McAvoy still needs a running mate. Forbort could wind up filling that role, providing the defensive security that could allow McAvoy to become more active offensively. Look for Forbort and Carlo to also form a dominant duo on the team’s top penalty kill unit.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Derek Forbort

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Defense was the area of need this off-season for the Winnipeg Jets, but the team had only succeeded in re-signing their own free agent blue liners. That has now changed, as a new face is heading to Winnipeg. The Jets have signed Derek Forbort, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. It is a one-year, $1MM for Forbort, who will look to prove that he is still an everyday defenseman.

It was a strange season for Forbort, marred by injury. After three solid seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, in which he played 78+ games and averaged more than 20 minutes, Forbort missed 43 games with a back injury and then played a limited role and struggled to produce offensively when he returned. The Kings dealt Forbort to the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline, by which time Forbort was looking like his old self. However, he only got into seven regular season games before the league’s pause and ten playoff games before the Flames were eliminated. Clearly, that small sample size made it difficult for Forbort to argue that he had fully recovered from his injury issue and had returned to form.

However, the Jets need defense and Forbort could end up winning a top-four role and cashing in next summer. A big, physical defenseman who dominates on the penalty kill, Forbort is an old-fashioned stay-at-home defenseman. Winnipeg will appreciate his propensity for shot-blocking and ability to win puck battles. While Forbort will face competition for starts and ice time with Nathan Beaulieu and Luca Sbisa on the left side, it’s a battle he should win. This could prove to be a shrewd signing for the Jets.

One other note on this deal: because it is the Jets and not the Flames signing Forbort, the Flames will send a 2021 fourth-round pick to the Flames to complete their deadline deal. Had Forbort returned to Calgary, it would have been a 2022 third-round selection going to L.A. in the trade.

Free Agent Focus: Calgary Flames

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With free agency now less than a month away, many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  While the Calgary Flames have one or two key restricted free agents to deal with, they may have quite a few questions that will need answering among their unrestricted free-agent defensemen.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Andrew Mangiapane – Throughout his career, Mangiapane has done everything right and only continues to get better. A former sixth-round pick in 2015, he worked his way into permanent role in 2018-19 and solidified himself as a top-six forward this year and it showed, posting career highs in his second full season, scoring 17 goals and 32 points. He added another three goals in 10 playoff games this year. The 24-year-old is likely to get a raise after making $800K on his now-expiring entry-level deal. He has proven his value as a key future forward on this team.

F Mark Jankowski – There was a lot of hope for Jankowski, the team’s first-round pick from 2012, but his third season in the NHL was a bit disappointing. In fact, after his rookie campaign in 2017-18 in which the 26-year-old tallied 17 goals, he has seen a continual decline, posting 15 goals in 2018-19 and followed that up with just five goals this year and has seen his playing time continue to drop as he played just 11:06 of ATOI. And at 6-foot-4 and a bottom-line player, he doesn’t play much of a physical game with just 80 recorded hits over three full seasons. However, the team has to decide whether he is worth the $1.75MM qualifying offer to retain his rights.

Other RFAs: F Justin Kirkland, D Oliver Kylington, D Andrew Nielsen, G Tyler Parsons.

10.2(c) Players: F Glenn Gawdin, G Nick Schneider (ineligible for arbitration or an offer sheet)

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Travis Hamonic – The Flames gave up quite a bit to bring in the defensive-minded Hamonic back in 2017. While not particularly much of an offensive player, the 30-year-old blueliner is quite a defensive player and was second on the team in ATOI this season at 21:11. Of course, the team was without his services in the playoffs as he opted out due to COVID-19 and family concerns. His daughter has had a significant battle with a life-threatening respiratory virus in the past while Hamonic has a new baby boy as well. However, the blueliner also was dealing with an upper-body injury for a large chunk of the regular season as well. Will the team bring him back? He was quite an affordable commodity at $3.86MM for the last few years, but undoubtedly will be looking for a raise and how many years is Calgary willing to offer to someone who is already 30 years old? With a team as cash-strapped as Calgary, Hamonic may be too pricey to keep.

D Erik Gustafsson – With five unrestricted free-agent defensemen, the team is likely to have to make some tough decisions in the near future. The Flames picked up Gustafsson for just a third-round pick at the trade deadline, which looked like a steal when Hamonic opted out of the playoffs. The team was expecting to lean on the once-high scoring defenseman. Instead, Gustafsson got just third-pairing minutes and wasn’t a big contributor down the stretch, suggesting the team may move on from him. While the 28-year-old’s price tag likely has dropped since posting a 17-goal, 60-point season back in 2018-19 and then following that up with a six-goal, 29-point season this year, a reunion would seem less likely considering the team has limited means as it is.

D T.J. Brodie – A constant trade-rumor candidate last summer, Brodie has found a way to remain with the team and produce quality minutes and may be the best option for Calgary if they were able to re-sign just one starter in the offseason. While his minutes have declined significantly since 2014-15, he still can put of solid defensive numbers and potentially provide solid play for less than the cost of either Hamonic or Gustafsson. He is capable of playing either side of the ice and plays a game that might suggest he could play deeper into his career than other defensemen.

G Cam Talbot – The Calgary Flames added Talbot to their roster as a veteran backup for young David Rittich and instead, Talbot walked away with the starting job, playing in all 10 of the team’s playoff games with Rittich getting just 16:35 of ice time in the final game before they were eliminated by Dallas (he gave up three goals on six shots). Talbot, who posted solid numbers this year, with a 2.63 GAA and a .919 save percentage in 26 regular season games, put up even better numbers in those 10 playoff games, including a 2.42 GAA and a .924 save percentage. The 33-year-old UFA made it clear he is looking for a starting job, but is Calgary willing to give up on Rittich just yet? And are they willing to pay up to keep Talbot, who could have quite a few suitors after his impressive season?

Other UFAs: F Austin Czarnik, D Derek Forbort, F Byron Froese, G Jon Gillies, F Ryan Lomberg, F Alan Quine, F Tobias Rieder, F Zac Rinaldo, F Buddy Robinson, D Michael Stone, D Rinat Valiev.

Projected Cap Space

The Flames only have about $16MM in available cap space and plenty of players they need to sign, including at least one or two defensemen and a starting/tandem goaltender. That doesn’t leave much money left for the team to spend on potential free agents unless the Flames find a way to move out some salary or some key players. Of course, with several rumors spreading about the availability of Johnny Gaudreau, it could be an interesting offseason for the Calgary Flames.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Calgary Flames Acquire Derek Forbort, Erik Gustafsson

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You could bet when Mark Giordano and Travis Hamonic went down for the Calgary Flames that the team called around on every available defenseman. Well, even though Giordano is set to return soon after being a full participant in practice again today, they’ve added some depth on the blueline. The team has acquired Derek Forbort from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2021 conditional fourth-round pick, and Erik Gustafsson from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2020 third-round pick. The Kings also retained 25% of Forbort’s contract.

The Flames have made moves like this in the past. Last year they added Oscar Fantenberg at the deadline to give them a little more depth on defense, and in 2017 it was Michael Stone coming in. Forbort and Gustafsson may come with even more excitement than those two, given their recent history. Forbort has been a partner of Drew Doughty, logging more than 20 minutes a night for the Kings in each of the previous three seasons. Injury stole most of this year, but he can be a reliable addition to a third pairing while the Flames work through injury.

It’s Gustafsson that brings the real intrigue however. Quietly the Blackhawks defender put up 17 goals and 60 points a season ago, and has established himself as a legitimate offensive threat. While his defensive work leaves something to be desired, the 27-year old could add a new dimension to the Flames.

Both players are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, explaining the relatively low costs. Some mid-round picks for the Kings and Blackhawks are just pieces to add to the cupboard as they both try to climb their way back to the top of the Western Conference.

Los Angeles Kings Make Several Roster Moves On Defense

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The Los Angeles Kings made a few roster moves with their defense in advance of Saturday night’s game against the Nashville Predators. The team is expecting back one of their top defenseman as Alec Martinez has been activated off of injured reserve. The team has also recalled defenseman Derek Forbort and placed defenseman Joakim Ryan on injured reserve, according to Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris.

Martinez went down on Nov. 25 when he suffered a laceration to his wrist against the San Jose Sharks in which he underwent surgery to repair a radial artery and two superficial radial nerves. He has been out week-to-week, but has now missed 18 games, a tough pill for a struggling L.A. team to deal with. Next to veteran Drew Doughty, Martinez is the most experienced blueliner the team has and relies on him greatly, especially his defense. While the 32-year-old’s offense has decreased over the last couple of years, he has been a steady influence on the other side of the ice.

The team will also get back Forbort, who has spent the past five games on a conditioning stint with the Ontario Reign in the AHL. Forbort, has sat out all season so far with a back injury, but if he can prove to be healthy, could add another defensive blueliner to their team. Forbort played five games with the Reign, scoring one goal. However, much will be determined by Ryan’s absence. He was placed on IR with an undisclosed injury retroactive to Dec. 27, which means he’s eligible to be activated at any time. If Ryan is ready to return, however, Forbort could be sent back to Ontario.

Minor Transactions: 12/29/19

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There were nine games in the NHL last night and, outside of a surprising 6-1 drubbing of the Flyers by the Sharks, it was a slate of tight results. The other eight match-ups combined for a margin of victory of just 12 goals, including five one-goal decisions. With another ten games on the docket today, including five divisional rivalries, it should be another competitive slate. Every team will be trying to make the right roster moves to improve their odds of winning, so keep up with all of the action here:

  • Last night, the Nashville Predators recalled Yakov Trenin, replacing the roster spot of Colton Sissons, who has been placed on injured reserve. Trenin has been up-and-down frequently this season, playing in six games with the Predators and 20 games with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. Trenin’s minor league production this season suggests he could assert himself as a top-nine forward for Nashville if he continues to get opportunities.
  • Another notable move last night was the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signing Sebastien Caron to a PTO to serve as their emergency backup goalie. That name should be familiar, as Caron made his WBS Penguins debut back in 2000-01 and made 95 NHL appearances over a 15-year pro career, 90 of which came with Pittsburgh and the other five in brief stops with Chicago, Anaheim, and Tampa Bay. Caron also spent parts of nine seasons in Europe. Since retiring from regular play in 2015-16, Caron has made multiple emergency backup appearances for the AHL Penguins, as well as the Binghamton Devils.
  • Derek Forbort finally returned to action last night, as the Los Angeles Kings activated the defenseman from the injured reserve and assigned him to the AHL’s Ontario Reign on a conditioning loan. Forbort began the season on the injured reserve with a back injury, but looked like he was trending toward a return in late November. However, Forbort suffered a setback during a previous conditioning stint and never made it back to active duty with the Kings. The team hopes that this time around he can stay healthy in the AHL and make his NHL debut sooner rather than later.
  • With a few days between games, the Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Kenny Agostino and Timothy Liljegren back to the AHL. With Jake Muzzin out due to a broken foot and Rasmus Sandin currently overseas playing for Sweden, Liljegren seems to be the next in line for an NHL opportunity in Toronto.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have assigned forward Morgan Frost to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL and have activated forward Michael Raffl off of injured reserve. Frost, one of the team’s top prospects, scored two goals in his first two NHL games, but has failed to score in the past 16 games. His last game, the team’s 6-1 loss to San Jose, Frost finished with a minus-three rating. He will return to the AHL to find his scoring confidence. Raffl has been inserted in the Flyers’ lineup after sitting out since Dec. 3 after breaking his finger. The 31-year-old has three goals and six assists this season in 28 games.

Pacific Notes: Simek, Forbort, Fleury, Comtois, Kassian

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The San Jose Sharks find themselves down a defenseman as The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that defenseman Radim Simek will return to San Jose and is expected to miss two weeks to have a minor procedure on his meniscus, an injury that kept him out of the lineup for the start of the season.

Simek sat out the first month of the season with the knee injury he suffered during the season last year. However, his return to the Sharks’ lineup coincided with San Jose’s success as the team has gone 11-4-1 as the team struggled with their defensive depth up until then. The 27-year-old has averaged 16:54 of ATOI and has a goal, four assists and 28 hits over 16 games.

  • The season debut that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Derek Forbort was anticipating soon will go on hold as the blueliner was placed back on injured reserve Saturday after suffering a setback of his back injury, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Forbort, who has yet to make his season debut after going down with a back injury during the preseason. He was expected to return soon, however, as he was sent to the Ontario Reign of the AHL on a conditioning assignment. However, he played two games before suffering the setback. There is currently no timetable on his return.
  • After a six-game layoff, the Vegas Golden Knights will have to wait at least one more game before starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will return to the ice. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that Malcolm Subban will get the start again despite Fleury’s return since his father passed away. The scribe writes that head coach Gerard Gallant wants to give Fleury some more practice time before throwing him into a game.
  • Orange County Register’s Elliott Teaford writes that with the injury of Anaheim Ducks forward Nick Ritchie for the next 6-10 weeks, the beneficiary of that injury is likely to be Max Comtois, who immediately was moved onto the team’s second line in hopes more playing time will spark his development. Comtois, a second-round pick in 2017, has had some success with the Ducks. He has two goals and five points so far in 13 games with the Ducks, but the injury will give the 20-year-old an even bigger opportunity to put up more offense.
  • While the Edmonton Oilers announced that they had activated forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins off of injured reserve and expect him to play Sunday, the team also expects to get back forward Zack Kassian as well. The 28-year-old Kassian has missed the past three games with a back injury, but is expected to join Nugent-Hopkins and likely will take his place on Edmonton’s top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Kassian has been averaging a career-high 16:22 of ice time this season and has nine goals and 19 points this year.

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