Vancouver Canucks Defenseman Derek Forbort Returns to Practice For First Time Since Early November

On the ice at Rogers Arena on Thursday afternoon, in a non-contact sweater, was defenseman Derek Forbort, Jeff Paterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver shared in a post on social media.

Derek Forbort signed Derek Forbort in early July to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million USD and so far, it's been a tough season for the 32-year-old blueliner.

In October, he took a leave of absence for personal reasons following the passing of his father, Keith.

Then a week later, Forbort suffered a lower-body injury after getting tangled up at the team's practice on November 4th, forcing him to be placed on injury reserve (IR) and was designated as out week-to-week.

With Filip Hronek set to miss the next eight weeks with lower and upper-body injuries, seeing Derek Forbort back on the ice is welcome news for Rick Tocchet and the Vancouver Canucks.

It's uncertain when Derek Forbort will return to the lineup or even transition into a regular sweater at practice, it'll be interesting to see what his role is when he returns.

Could Rick Tocchet put him into a second-pairing role with Tyler Myers or would he remain on the third pair with Vincent Desharnais or Noah Juulsen? Regardless of where he's put, it's going to be good for the club on the defensive side of the puck in their own end.

The Canucks return to action tomorrow night as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Arena, with puck drop set for 7 pm PT.