Canucks announce defenceman Derek Forbort is taking leave of absence

The Vancouver Canucks have announced defenceman Derek Forbort is taking leave of absence for personal reasons.
With just hours to go until the puck drops on Vancouver’s second game of their three-game road trip where they face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, the team announced a roster move and shared that defenceman Derek Forbort is leaving the team for personal reasons.

To take Derek Forbort’s spot on the National Hockey League roster for the time being, Vancouver has officially called up former first-round pick Erik Brannstrom from the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks.

‘General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that D Erik Brännström has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL) and that D Derek Forbort has left the team for personal reasons.’

Brannstrom, 25, was traded to the Vancouver Canucks by the Colorado Avalanche just before the start of the 2024-25 season in exchange for defenceman Tucker Poolman (20% salary retained) and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

In two games with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks over the weekend, the Eksjo, Sweden native stood out and proved that he belonged in the National Hockey League sooner rather than later. Brannstrom registered three assists, two penalty minutes and was a plus-three with Abbotsford.

As for Derek Forbort, who signed with the Vancouver Canucks back on July 1st for one-year with a salary of $1.5 million USD. In three games with the Canucks this season, Forbort has one assist, two penalty minutes and is a minus-one.

Everyone is hoping that Derek Forbort is okay and that he’ll be able to return to the Vancouver Canucks as soon as he’s able to, but in the meantime, the organization and fan base are thinking about him.