Canucks’ Brannstrom recalled, Forbort leaves team for personal reasons

Still searching for their first win, the Vancouver Canucks are bringing in reinforcements from Abbotsford.

The team announced on Thursday that they have recalled defenceman Erik Brannstrom from AHL Abbotsford. He will join the team in Florida ahead of Thursday’s tilt against the Panthers.

The team also announced that defenceman Derek Forbort left the team due to personal reasons.

Brannstrom, 25, was acquired by the Canucks ahead of the regular season from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Tucker Poolman and a fourth-round pick.

The Swede has spent parts of the last six seasons with the Ottawa Senators, scoring seven goals and 69 points in 266 career NHL games. He had his most productive season of his career in 2023-24 with increased playing time amidst injuries to the Senators’ blue line, with three goals and 20 points in 76 games.

Despite this, the Senators did not tender him a qualifying offer during the off-season, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Avalanche then signed him to a one-year, $900,000.

In two games so far for the Abbotsford Canucks, Brannstrom has three assists and a plus-3 rating.

Forbort, 32, was one of the Canucks’ free agency signings on the blue line. He’s suited up in all three regular-season games for the team thus far, registering one point in 16:53 TOI. The Canucks did not provide a timeline for his return.

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