Vancouver Canucks' Derek Forbort Suffers Scary Season-Ending Injury

Monday, April 14, 2025 ,

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Derek Forbort is done for the season after suffering a broken orbital bone during a frightening incident in Saturday night’s game against the Minnesota Wild. 

Early in the third period, Forbort dropped the gloves with Wild forward Yakov Trenin following a heated scrum that began after Trenin delivered a late hit on Canucks captain Quinn Hughes. 

After both players went down to the ice, Trenin delivered an extra punch to Forbort’s face while he was in a defenseless position, his head down and arms restrained. Bloodied and clearly in pain, Forbort had to be helped off the ice and did not return.

“It was one of the dirtiest things I’ve seen,” said Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson after the game. Head coach Rick Tocchet agreed with that assessment and later confirmed that Forbort’s injury would keep him out for the remainder of the year, calling it a “tough loss” and adding, “You don’t want a guy like that starting the summer like that. He’s a big part of our team.” 

Forbort, who has dealt with personal hardship and multiple injuries this season, appeared to be an emotional presence on Vancouver’s third pairing and one of their top penalty killers.

Despite the severity of the injury and Trenin receiving a five-minute major, a 10-minute misconduct, and an “aggressor” penalty, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced no supplemental discipline would be handed down. 

This sparked criticism from fans and teammates alike, with Hughes referring to Trenin’s post-ejection behavior as a “circus act,” and agent Ben Hankinson calling the punch a “cheap shot” in a post on social media. 

The incident—and the league’s lack of further action—has left the Canucks frustrated, especially as it ended Forbort’s season on a devastating note just weeks before he’s set to become a free agent.

Photo Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
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