NHL Free Agency opened on July 1, and while the best players on the market have found new contracts, some solid players still remain available. These guys will fill depth positions for their new teams. One sneaky free agent who could make an impact late is Robby Fabbri.
Robby Fabbri was selected No. 21 overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2014 NHL Draft. After spending time in the OHL and AHL, he would see ice time at the NHL level in 2015-16. He played 72 games in that campaign, which remains a career high for the Canadian forward. He played nine games with the Blues in 2019-20 before being moved to the Detroit Red Wings. In the summer of 2024, Fabbri would be traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
In his NHL career, Fabbri has played in 442 NHL games while scoring 106 goals and adding 110 assists. Meanwhile, he has lit the lamp five times in the playoffs while adding 11 helpers. When healthy, Fabbri has been a solid player. In his NHL career, he has averaged 40 points per 82 games. The major issue is that he has played over 60 games in a season just twice since the start of the 2016-17 campaign. Knee injuries have been a major issue of contention for Fabbri in his career. With his production, at the right cost, he would be worth the risk for some teams, even with the fact that another injury could happen. These are the top three options for Fabbri for the 2025-26 season.
The Bruins add depth
The Boston Bruins finished tied for last place in the Eastern Conference in 2024-25. It was a major fall from a team that broke the record for the best regular season just two years prior. The team lost depth during the 2024-25 season, primarily due to trading Brad Marchand away. The Bruins added some depth forwards this summer, with the team adding Sean Kuraly, Mikey Eyssimont, and Matej Blumel.
While Fabbri has missed plenty of time in recent years, he is still a solid scoring threat as a depth forward. The Canadian has scored ten or more goals in four of the past six seasons. Further, he has added ten or more helpers in three of the last six years. Boston is limited on cap space, so any new addition would have to be inexpensive. That would be the case here, and could be a solid move for the franchise.
The Oilers leverage an inexpensive contract
Fabbri is a nine-year veteran in the NHL and has experienced playoff success, including lifting the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues. He is not expected to be an expensive signing either, with a new contract costing just over $2 million. This means a team that needs depth but does not have current cap space could benefit from adding him. One of those teams is the Edmonton Oilers.
While the Oilers added Andrew Mangiapane and retained Evan Bouchard, they lost a lot of depth. Connor Brown went to the New Jersey Devils, Evander Kane was traded, Corey Perry signed with the Los Angeles Kings, and Jeff Skinner moved to the San Jose Sharks.
Kane did not play in the regular season in 2024-25, but did have 12 points in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Brown, Perry, and Skinner combined for 89 points in the 2024-25 regular season. A player like Fabbri will not replace all of them, but he has shown in his career that he can put up the production to replace one of them if he can stay healthy. Still, at a low cost, it would be worth the risk for the Oilers to make this signing and get back some of the depth they lost.
The Avalanche could benefit from a depth signing
The Colorado Avalanche is another team that lost some depth this summer. They saw Ryan Lindgren move to the Seattle Kraken, while Jonathan Drouin signed with the New York Islanders. Like Edmonton, they have a tight cap situation, but still have just over $6 million to work with.
Drouin was the biggest loss for the Avs in terms of forwards. He played in just 43 games, but amassed 37 points via 11 goals and 26 assists. Fabbri would not be a direct replacement, as he has scored over 35 points in an NHL season just once. Still, he could play on one of the bottom two lines, adding a scoring threat to the bottom six.
Overall, Fabbir is not a signing that would make major headlines, but he is a solid player. He brings playoff experience and some goal-scoring ability. His career has been derailed by injuries, and that would be the risk for a team signing him. When he has been healthy, he has been a solid player. At such a low cost, a team looking for depth, such as the Bruins, Oilers, or Avalanche, could benefit from his addition.
