It feels like it was very recently that the Detroit Red Wings made a move to bring in Robby Fabbri. I remember hearing that Steve Yzerman had flipped Jacob de la Rose to St. Louis in exchange for Fabbri, being excited about him.
It feels like this was recent, but it was five years ago now, which feels insane, but the 2023-24 season will be year five of Fabbri being with the Detroit Red Wings organization. It’s been up and down, and they’re looking for him to provide some consistency.
Fabbri earned himself a three-year extension that started up during the 2022-23 season, where he is slated to make $4 million on an average annual value. The issue with him is that he has not lived up to the hype over a full season.
Now, it’s not a total knock to him because he has had some serious adversity in his career in the National Hockey League (NHL). Fabbri has undergone several ACL tears and recovered to return to the ice.
He had another knee injury that required a four-to-six-week recovery period that caused his 2022-23 season to be ended early after he already had a late start to the campaign. He’s also dealing with time away from the ice due to COVID-19 issues.
Detroit Red Wings are hoping for consistency in Robby Fabbri.
The Red Wings forward has undoubtedly gotten it done for the Red Wings when he is healthy and can earn himself that extension, as mentioned above. But in 2022-23, the production was a bit lackluster as he struggled to find the back of the net.
Fabbri played in just 28 games in 2022-23, where he had seven goals and nine assists for just 16 total points. That was coming fresh off the 2021-22 season, where he played in 56 games for the Red Wings, the most he has since being acquired. He scored 17 goals and added 13 assists for 30 total points.
The offensive tools have shown up at times for the Red Wings, and he has been someone the Red Wings have to be happy about. But that does not mean the team is not hoping for more consistency.
In 2023-24, the Red Wings have to be hoping that with a clean bill of health, he can stay healthy and contribute to the team’s lineup night in and night out. He’s been a huge part of the team’s plans, but the inability to stay healthy and dip in performance this season has to be a little concerning.
Fabbri needs to come out in 2022-23 and try to settle in early. The Red Wings have to be looking for more consistency in staying healthy and in the lineup, being able to be the player he has shown he can be.