DETROIT – Steve Yzerman made several low-risk moves during his first year as Detroit Red Wings general manager, seeking undervalued players whose careers had stalled without relinquishing much.
His acquisition of Robby Fabbri has been by far the most fruitful. The Red Wings acquired a skilled player who has provided much-needed offense. Fabbri went from the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues to what was the worst team in the NHL last season but has benefited from the opportunity he wouldn’t have received with his former club.
Fabbri, playing on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha the past several games, scored all three goals Thursday in Detroit’s 3-2 victory over Dallas.
It was his second career hat trick – his first since Dec. 28, 2016, when he played for the Blues – and gives him a team-leading nine goals in only 22 games.
“He competes hard, he can score,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Very first day we got him he showed us he can score on one shot. Some guys need tons of shots to score, some guys have the ability to score on one shot. He does it different ways. And he brings a good edge and competes hard. When Robby is playing his best, he’s super-competitive.”
Fabbri has battled back from two serious knee injuries while in St. Louis, which selected him in the first round in 2014 (No. 21).
He has 23 goals and 46 points in 74 games over parts of two seasons in Detroit. Jacob de la Rose, the expendable fourth-line center the Red Wings gave up in return, has one goal and six points in 43 games with the Blues.
Fabbri said he was “very excited” when he was traded.
“I’d never been traded before, but I didn’t know that was going to be the feeling, being excited to come to this group,” Fabbri said. “It’s been great ever since I’ve been here. It’s been a lot of fun.”
After starting the season as the second-line center, Fabbri has returned to the wing, where he has developed chemistry with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha.
“We’re really close off the ice, we’re trying to convert that on the ice,” Fabbri said. “That starts with work ethic and being predictable to each other and that comes with playing games together and getting used to each other.
“We’re clicking right now and having fun.”
Mantha made a drop pass to set up his first goal. Larkin, after fanning on a breakaway, passed him the puck for his third goal.
“I was yelling to him, ‘All you, all you!’ " Fabbri said. “I wanted him to go, he had more of the speed. I wanted him to go in and not pass up a chance to try to get me a hat trick. In the end, it worked out.”
Despite his size (5-10, 190), Fabbri plays with an edge, frequently playing the body against bigger players.
“One of the conversations we had was for him to be an effective player he’s got to make sure he’s competitive, he’s in those battles and he’s winning those battles,” Blashill said. “He doesn’t have the biggest body, he’s not super-fast. He’s got to make up for those things with his competitiveness, and he’s done that on a pretty consistent basis. Ton of respect for the way he plays, ton of respect for how hard he goes to those areas. He knows that’s what allows him to be successful.”
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The Link LonkMarch 19, 2021 at 05:09PM
https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2021/03/trade-for-robby-fabbri-has-provided-red-wings-tremendous-value.html
Trade for Robby Fabbri has provided Red Wings tremendous value - MLive.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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