The Toronto Maple Leafs still need another top-six forward and could take a flier on a former Stanley Cup champion.
The Maple Leafs added some nice depth players this offseason, but the likes of Nic Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Michael Pezzetta are more bottom-six players. With that, Toronto could look for a low-risk, high-reward signing to compete for a top-six role.
NHL analyst Jeremy Tingly of LeafsNation urges the Maple Leafs to sign Robby Fabbri to a PTO to compete for a roster spot.
“Talk about bad luck, Fabbri has had a bunch with three different ACL surgeries throughout his career. The 29-year-old former first-round pick is from Mississauga, and played a combined 42 games for Berube on the Blues’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2018-2019,” Tingly wrote. “Fabbri is coming off a 44-game season with the Anaheim Ducks, in which he posted eight goals and eight assists, averaging 16:12 of ice-time, including time spent on the Ducks’ second power play unit.
F”abbri could push the likes of Nick Robertson and Easton Cowan for a roster spot, and also has experience filling in at centre, which could give the Maple Leafs some more middle-six depth at the position, and allow for Berube to get very creative with his roster,” Tingly added. “It was only two years ago when Fabbri scored 18 goals in 68 games with the Detroit Red Wings. There’s no denying when healthy, he’s a legit offensive threat… Regardless, they should be reaching out to see if he’s interested in attending training camp on a tryout.”
Fabbri has dealt with injuries in his career, but when healthy, he can be a top-six forward. Last season, he recorded 8 goals and 8 assists for 16 points in 44 games. His career high is 37 points.
Fabbri is Familiar With Berube
Part of the reason why Toronto should pursue Fabbri is due to his connection with Craig Berube.
Berube is the Maple Leafs coach, and Fabbri has him as a coach for parts of two seasons in St. Louis. He was a key part of the Blues roster that won the Stanley Cup in 2019, so he would have Berube’s trust.
After the Blues dealt Fabbri to the Red Wings, Berube praised the former first-round pick.
“He’s a great kid and a hard-working guy,” Berube said. “He fell on some injuries around here, and we wish him all the best.”
Fabbri would have a chance to play close to home with the Maple Leafs. If he isn’t healthy, Toronto could easily walk away from him for nothing, so it could be a low-risk, high-reward move.
Fabbri was selected 21st overall in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Maple Leafs Coach Likes Roster Competitions
Although Toronto has an excess of forwards, bringing in Fabbri would only further add to the roster competition.
Entering training camp, Berube says roster competition is good as he wants everyone to earn their roster spot.
“There’s a lot of competition at camp. I’ll leave it at that. There’s a lot of competition at camp, which is great. I think it makes for a competitive camp and that’s what we want, because that’s gonna get us more prepared for the regular season. I don’t have the answer to that right now. There’s jobs available and again, it’s a competition. You gotta come in and play your ass off and earn a spot,” Berube said to The Athletic.
The Maple Leafs open their season on Oct. 8 against the Montreal Canadiens.
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