When the Detroit Red Wings traded for Robby Fabbri.
Yzerman’s first move with the St. Louis Blues came in November of 2019, trading Jacob de la Rose forward for Robby Fabbri. Fabbri, a former first-round pick in his own right, had just come off a season where he played 32 games and only put up a total of 6 points for the Blues. But in his time in Detroit, he has played 166 games with 48 goals, 47 assists, and a total of 95 points. Of those points, 27 came on the power play (15 goals, 12 assists).
Fabbri has had the injury bug hit him the past couple of seasons, but when healthy, he adds value to the Red Wings lineup. On the flip side, de la Rose, since being traded to the Blues, played in only 47 total games, with a total of 6 points. de la Rose has not played in the NHL since the 2020/21 season.
Steve Yzerman has made a handful of moves that can be considered a major win and a positive impact on the organization. Add in the players and moves he completed this off-season, mixed in with the addition of head coach Derek Lalonde this last off-season, and there could be many more moves that can be added to this list.
Only time will tell what other moves Yzerman has up his sleeve that will get highly praised by the fans and the media to help continue the upward swing of the rebuild and the trajectory of the Detroit Red Wings organization that is trying to get back to being a perennial playoff and Stanley Cup contender once again.
Honorable mention: Alex DeBrincat, but he has yet to play a game in Detroit. Hopefully, he will be atop the list next season.