Bruins notebook: Derek Forbort close to being an option
When Derek Forbort was placed on long-term injured reserve at the trade deadline, there was an air of finality to it with regard to the rest of his season.
GM Don Sweeney’s tone was pessimistic as he said that the season for the defenseman, who had battled a couple of injuries for most of the season, was likely over. He would undergo a couple of surgeries, the nature of which remain undisclosed, though he had been trying to play through a groin injury earlier in the season.
But at Monday’s morning skate prior to Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Forbort was on the ice with the team as a full participant. He was not an option for Game 2 but coach Jim Montgomery said he expects the veteran D-man to travel with the team to Toronto on Tuesday.
“Hopefully in the near future, he might be an option,” said Montgomery.
While there seemed to be little need for a change of personnel on the D corps after their 5-1 win in Game 1. And current healthy scratch Parker Wotherspoon has a lot more recent game action under his belt and would seem to be the next logical guy to go in if someone got hurt. But the fact that Forbort could be available as early as Round 1 is remarkable.
“Yeah, the timeline that we got from the surgeons was a little longer than what we’ve got here. So, what do they know?” said Forbort with his usual dry sense of humor.
He said he knew almost immediately from the first time he stepped on the ice two to three weeks after the surgeries that he might be able to accelerate that timeline. Now it seems like he could actually be a player in this series if he’s needed.
“We’re getting close. I’m just trying to do some extra stuff out there trying to get the conditioning back and trying to get the strength back,” said Forbort.
Forbort went down to play two games in Providence over the weekend on Friday and Sunday and Montgomery said there was a noticeable improvement from the first game to the second game.
Forbort said: “It was fine. I was just trying to get my legs back and my timing and see how we felt.”
It had been a long, frustrating season for Forbort. After trying to battle through the groin injury early in the season, he was shut down from December 3 to January 20 to see if the injury would heal. But when he returned, he could never really get his game back.
“Yeah, it wasn’t very fun, but that’s hockey and that’s the way it goes sometimes,” said Forbort. “One of the hardest parts was just like the harder I worked in practice or tried to do extra stuff to get up to speed, the worse it got. It was just kind of brutal.”
His efforts did not go unnoticed by his teammates.
“It’s nice to see Forby out there. Good for him,” said Jake DeBrusk. “Obviously he’s battling and even before he was out he was battling with us. He’s very tough. You see him block shots and play hard minutes and you can get dinged up in different aspects. To see him back in the mix, I know he likes hanging out with the guys so it’s nice for him and his mind. At the same time, any reinforcements at this time of the year is good to have.”…
As you would imagine, Montgomery wasn’t giving up his goaltender for Game 2 – Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman — but he decided to have some fun with reporters.
“I don’t like keeping you guys in the dark. Do any of you play Wordle? OK, the starting goalie tonight has vowels in his first and last name,” said Montgomery with a grin.
But no, he wasn’t giving any real hints.
“I don’t know why we would divulge information. If you’re preparing for a game, there are parts of your goaltender that are parts of your pre-scout. So that’s an advantage for us,” said Montgomery, adding, “I don’t tell my wife, I’m not telling you.”
DeBrusk, who claimed not to know who the starter was going to be, said the two goalies have a special bond.
“Everyone knows about the hugs, that’s probably the coolest thing that they have. We make a lot of fun of them for doing that,” said DeBrusk. “But honestly, I think they’ve leaned on each other. In an 82-game season, there’s spurts where every player struggles and has dips and you need that support system. I think having a healthy competition but at the same time it being one of your best friends on the team has really helped both those guys get to new levels.”…
DeBrusk said his three-point Game 1 (2-1-3) didn’t exactly wipe out his uneven 19-goal regular season, but it should put him in a good frame of mind for the playoffs.
“I think it definitely helps the mind going into it. But I knew I’d be all right and I knew playoffs are fun,” said DeBrusk. “This is what it’s all about, no matter what happened or happens. But it’s one game. If the playoffs go really well for the team and myself, then maybe I’ll say yes. But other than that, I’m not dwelling on it in that sense, but I’ve just moved on. And I think the first game helped me do that. If it’s four or five games in the series and I haven’t found the net yet, I’d be getting a little agitated. But this time of year, that’s only useless emotion. I’m just happy I don’t have to worry about that. But the best thing about the playoffs is the next game means more.”…
Montgomery estimated that Justin Brazeau, who continues working out on his own, could be a ready for a return sometime in Round 2.