Derek Forbort
Derek Forbort is not on Vancouver's roster for 2026-27: the IR-LT/hip designation reflects last season, and Forbort has actually been an unsigned Group 3 unrestricted free agent since July 1, 2026.
Role
No current NHL role to report. Forbort played only the first two games of the 2025-26 season before going on long-term injured reserve with a hip issue that ended his year (canucksarmy.com, reporting on his end-of-season media availability). NHL.com's free agent tracker, checked within the last week of coverage found, still lists him among unsigned Group 3 UFAs alongside Evander Kane and Joseph LaBate. A Canucks camp preview piece (canucksarmy.com) explicitly notes he is 'still looking for a place to play.' No reporting found of a PTO, tryout, or signing with any club for training camp 2026.
Forbort told Vancouver's end-of-season media that surgery is expected to resolve the hip issue that has bothered him for a couple of years and that he intends to keep playing; when healthy in 2024-25 he was a reliable, penalty-killing bottom-pair defenseman (54 games, two goals, 11 points that season), so a team could still take a depth flier on him in camp.
He is 34, played in only two games last season before the hip injury shut him down for the rest of the year, has no contract for 2026-27, and as of the most recent coverage found remains unsigned with no reported camp invite anywhere, making it uncertain he opens the season on an NHL roster at all.
Where analysts split
There is no active analyst debate about a role because he currently has none: coverage found agrees he is an unsigned free agent recovering from hip surgery, not a rostered player with a line or special-teams assignment to argue over.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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