DETROIT – After suffering another 5-1 loss Wednesday night, the Detroit Red Wings announced they acquired former first-round pick Robby Fabbri in a trade that sends Jacob de la Rose to the St. Louis Blues.
Fabbri, 23, is a center who, according to CapFriendly, is under a 1-year contract with a cap hit of $900,000. Injuries have hampered his young career, holding him to just 32 games played this past season. But he did return to help the Blues in their Stanley Cup championship run in the spring. He had a goal in 10 playoff games.
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He has played nine games with the Blues this season, posting a goal -- his only point in the stretch.
Fabbri was selected 21st overall by the Blues in the 2014 NHL draft. He put up 37 points (18G, 19A) in his rookie season, and followed that with 29 points in fewer games the next season. Again, a bad knee injury has held him back the past two seasons, but a fresh start with Detroit might be what he needs to get back on track. He’s only 23.
Meanwhile, 24-year-old de la Rose, who also plays center, will leave the Red Wings after he was picked up by Ken Holland last year on waivers. The Montreal Canadiens had placed de la Rose on waivers after he suffered a cardiac episode two weeks before and hadn’t played a game at the start of the season. With the Red Wings, de la Rose played 60 games this past season (3G, 6A) and 16 games this season (1G, 3A).
It’s a low-risk trade for both teams, but once again GM Steve Yzerman could end up looking real smart here. Fabbri becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season. He could have great value by then, and the Red Wings would still be in the driver’s seat.
The Red Wings might be the worst team in the NHL right now, but at least Yzerman is getting creative and aggressive in an effort to set up a better future. He grabbed another former first-round pick, Brendan Perlini, in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks just a week ago.