Forbort Saw a Strong Fit with Black & Gold

BostonBruins.com - Derek Forbort generated his share of interest during the free agency process. Several teams reached out and expressed their desire to make the 6-foot-4 blue liner a part of their team.
But when the Bruins came calling, he knew his decision would be an easy one.

"There were some teams kind of floating around that were decent fits. But then when things started heating up with Boston, I said, 'Yeah, that's where I want to go. I love that city. I've heard it's an unbelievable group of guys.' They had a need for defensive defensemen with size. Just kind of worked out," said Forbort, who signed a three-year deal with a $3 million annual cap hit on the opening day of free agency.
Forbort spent three seasons with the Manchester Monarchs - then the L.A. Kings' AHL affiliate - from 2012-15 and frequently made the 45-minute drive down Rt. 93 to Boston, which he calls one of his favorite cities in the country. Between his love for the area and a strong recommendation from fellow Minnesotan and new Bruins teammate Karson Kuhlman, Forbort was eager to don the Spoked- B.
"A big part of it was just the city. It's always been one of my favorite cities. Loved going there," said the 29-year-old from Duluth. "Was talking to Karson Kuhlman, he said it was just such a great group of dudes, just a fun team to be a part of. They're obviously very competitive every year so those were the main things that went into it."
And as an added bonus, Forbort gets to join the team that his namesake helped to two Stanley Cups.
"I was actually named after Derek Sanderson. He was my dad's favorite player," said Forbort, who has yet to meet the Bruins icon. "That was the first hockey card I had in my room was a Derek Sanderson card."

Everything else you need to know about the new Bruins defenseman:
Last team:Winnipeg Jets
Position:Defenseman
Height:6 feet, 4 inches
Weight:219 pounds
Shoots:Left
Birthday:March 4, 1992
Hometown:Duluth, Minnesota
Twitter: @DerekForbort
Instagram: @derekforbort4
Miscellaneous:The 29-year-old spent last season with the Winnipeg Jets, collecting two goals and 10 assists in 56 games. Forbort ranked fifth in the NHL with 115 blocked shots.
He averaged 20:45 of ice time last season, ranking fourth on the Jets, while his average of 2:43 on the penalty kill led Winnipeg.
"I think it's huge. I love killing penalties," said Forbort. "That feeling when you kill one off, I'm sure it's pretty similar to some guys scoring a goal. But that's kind of how I feel about it. If I can contribute there and help the team get wins through that, that's kind of what I try to focus on. I love doing it."
Forbort spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Kings (2015-20), before being traded to the Calgary Flames during the 2019-20 campaign. The left-shot blue liner, not known for his offensive output, put up a career-high 18 points twice - in 2016-17 and 2017-18. He has scored two goals - his career high - three times, including last season.
The Minnesota native played three seasons at the University of North Dakota. He was drafted 15th overall by the Kings in 2010.
Scouting Report:With the losses of Kevan Miller (retirement) and Jeremy Lauzon (expansion), the Bruins were in need of some size, toughness, and grit on the back end. Forbort brings plenty of all those attributes, along with a strong shot blocking and penalty killing acumen.
"Derek was a player we identified through our own scouting staff and analytics staff that would come in and complement our group," said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, who remembers watching Forbort play with the Manchester Monarchs. "He's played extended minutes, he's healthier. He had a rebound year from not being healthy the previous season - went in and played [an] elevated role. Primary penalty killer, which is also important.
"Lauzy and Kevan picked up a lot of those details, and Derek was excited in thinking about playing with a couple different partners we have in Charlie [McAvoy] and Brandon [Carlo] from penalty killing to elevated minutes in a shutdown role, and we're going to need him to do that."