One player who is likely going to head in free agency this summer is defenseman Derek Forbort from the Boston Bruins according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Forbort had a three-year stint with Boston who was marked by injuries and inconsistentcy in his play, seems to be over. Especially with the young defesemen Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, and Mason Lohrei who pushed last year to enter the lineup.
Peeke physicality and lower cap hit make him a way more valuable option than Forbort who will free up some cap space with his departure. Plus, the Bruins defense looks solid with these younger and more cost-effective players. But, there is talk about pursuing a better player on the left side of the defense, with names like Jakob Chychurn, Brett Pesce, Brady Skjei, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov for options.
Forbort leaving is not a huge loss for the Boston Bruins. His contract felt a bit too much since he was not performing as well as he did with his ancient teams and the Bruins can and will use the cap space they save to add player in more deficient area like the scoring goals side. Peeke and the young talents should fill Forbort role well and the team can focus on making strategic moves at the other positions.
