Derek Forbort has had some struggles on the ice recently. Now he has an issue off the ice. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters in Seattle on Monday that the veteran defenseman is out for Monday night’s game against the Kraken after missing a team meeting.
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Parker Wotherspoon and Kevin Shattenkirk will skate on Boston’s third pairing with Forbort out.
Forbort has battled injuries throughout this season, including a lower-body one that lingered for much of the first half of the season, and has missed 25 games total. His play has been inconsistent since returning to the lineup in late January, as he has committed some costly turnovers and been slow in coverage at times.
“I see a guy trying to come back and get in the rhythm of the game,” Montgomery said last week when asked to evaluate Forbort’s play. “I think he’s had some real good games. I think he’s had some games he would like to make a few corrections on. But he’s someone that we believe in, and someone that’s going to help us in the long-term as he always has.”
While Montgomery expressed confidence in Forbort then, it remains to be seen if his lineup and even roster spot is secure as the March 8 trade deadline approaches. Forbort is a pending free agent with a $3 million cap hit, and the cap-strapped Bruins could be looking at the left side of their defense as an area in need of an upgrade. Forbort has a three-team no-trade list.
Forbort is the second Bruin this season who has been benched for missing a team meeting. Jake DeBrusk did so on the team’s first road trip of the season back in October.