Columbus picks up Dante Fabbro but faces a roster decision, likely moving Kent Johnson to injured reserve due to a shoulder injury
The Blue Jackets have acquired defenseman Dante Fabbro through waivers from the Predators. Columbus currently lacks an available roster spot and must execute a related transaction, probably by placing winger Kent Johnson on injured reserve retroactively to Oct. 17 due to his shoulder injury.
Fabbro, a 6-foot right-handed defenseman selected in the first round from Boston University in 2016, is currently in his seventh NHL season and has mostly been a borderline top-four player during his tenure in Nashville.
However, following the signing of a one-year, $2.5M extension in March to prevent him from entering last summer’s restricted free-agent market, Fabbro fell down the Preds’ depth chart and was a healthy scratch for five consecutive games before being placed on waivers on Saturday.
Looking back, the 2023-24 season signaled the end of Fabbro’s time in Nashville. He was also a healthy scratch on several occasions last season, only playing 56 games and averaging a career-low 16:21 when he was in the lineup. This year, Fabbro finished without a goal in six matches with a -3 rating and achieved a new career low with a 13:06 ATOI before being placed on waivers.
Some believed that Fabbro’s $2.5M cap hit would deter teams from making claims, but Columbus holds the second-largest cap space in the league at $22.92M, according to PuckPedia. Regarding finances, fitting him on the roster isn’t a challenge, even though they currently have eight defensemen.
With Erik Gudbranson possibly sidelined for the remainder of the season following shoulder surgery last month, there probably won’t be much roster change concerning Columbus’ defense from now on unless further injuries occur.
Fabbro’s inclusion does provide the Jackets with another seasoned player on defense, and he possesses solid career possession stats with a 50.0 CF% and 49.5 xGF% while at even strength.
Nonetheless, his inclusion on the roster creates extra competition for 20-year-old right-shot defenseman David Jiříček, who has been a healthy scratch in all but five games this season and has averaged less than 12 minutes of ice time per game. This doesn’t bode well for his growth after Columbus picked him sixth overall in 2022.
With Nov. 1 behind us, waiver priority is now established based on the order of reserve standings according to points percentage. This indicates that the Canadiens, Sharks, Blackhawks, Ducks, Flyers, Kraken, and Penguins all overlooked Fabbro.
Image Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
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