Robby Fabbri

Fabbri showed some promise with 18 points in 30 games on a bad Red Wings team last year, but he also missed two chunks of time with injuries. Such has been the case for much of the 25-year-old's career since he was drafted 21st overall by the Blues in 2014. Fabbri could have 40-point potential if he was able to stay on the ice for a full season, especially if he can secure a top-six role and power-play time this year. The upper-body injury that sidelined him to end 2020-21 shouldn't affect him this campaign, so expect the Ontario native to aim for career-high production as he enters a contract year ahead of unrestricted free agency next summer.

Fabbri got lost in the shuffle in St. Louis a year after the team's Stanley Cup win, but he thrived after an early-season trade to Detroit. Overall, the 24-year-old forward notched 32 points in 61 appearances last season, his best effort since his rookie year. Fabbri has primarily played on the wing during his NHL career, but there's a chance he'll work as a center for the Red Wings in 2020-21. This would most likely be at the expense of Valtteri Filppula, who has also shown positional versatility in the past. Fabbri seems plenty capable of challenging the 40-point mark, especially if he retains a role on the power play, where he had nine points last year. He's not likely to help in the plus-minus category, but Fabbri's solid scoring reputation should be enough to interest fantasy managers in deeper formats.

Fabbri finally returned to action last season after two torn ACLs, so growing pains were predictable. However, he struggled to kick the injury bug, too, as the 23-year-old missed 20 games last season between a groin and a shoulder injury. It was clear when he was on the ice that Fabbri couldn't accelerate as quickly as he used to, but the Ontario native's full speed can still outpace the majority of the league. Possibly another year of good health could help shake the rest of the rust off, but there will be tough competition in the bottom six again, as Oskar Sundqvist and Ivan Barbashev have cemented their roles while Zachary Sanford, Sammy Blais and Jordan Kyrou are all in the hunt. Fantasy owners should look elsewhere for depth talent, and unfortunately, dynasty leagues should probably be cutting the cord on Fabbri this offseason, too.

Fabbri last played in the 2016-17 campaign and was on a trajectory to be a top-six stud, with 29 goals and 37 helpers in 123 games over his first two seasons. Two torn ACLs later, however, and the Blues aren't sure how the 22-year-old will pan out. They signed him to a one-year, $925,000 contract after he was fully cleared to play over the summer, and the Blues are pondering how to best re-introduce him to the NHL game. Fabbri will likely ease back into the lineup in a bottom-six role with special teams opportunities since the Blues picked up multiple top-six forwards this offseason. If he's able to prove himself, Fabbri could be shifted up the depth chart. The 2014 first-round pick is clearly surrounded by question marks, so anything but a late-round pick would be a reach for Fabbri.

Fabbri’s 2016-17 season ended when he tore his ACL in February, but the young stud has reportedly gotten fully healthy over the summer, and that means he should be able to pick up right where he left off. Now 21 years old, he logged 11 goals and 29 points (nine of which came on the power play) over 51 games last season, and he was just scratching the surface of his potential. With pivot Patrik Berglund out until at least December with a shoulder injury, Fabbri may get tried at both center and left wing in training camp; the latter position holds greater potential for a top-six role. Fabbri is entering the final year of his entry-level deal, so a breakout performance can make him a very rich young man, and his strong pedigree as the 2014 draft’s No. 21 overall pick -- not to mention his high talent level -- suggests that’s well within the realm of possibility.

Fabbri is on a rocket to stardom – get on board now. The 19-year-old became an NHL regular after Jaden Schwartz busted his ankle last October and the kid never looked back. He delivered a solid 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 72 regular-season games, but absolutely exploded in the postseason. Fabbri finished the playoffs tied for the team lead in scoring with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 20 games and delivered passes with such precision that his veteran teammates just weren't ready to receive them. Fabbri's ascension will continue in 2016-17 – he'll start on the second line courtesy of Alexander Steen's shoulder injury and we just don't see him relinquishing that role. He'll be to the 60-point plateau by 2017-18 and closing in on 70 shortly after. He's just that good.

Fabbri was the Blues' top pick in the 2014 draft, and he's now the team's top prospect. He scored 51 points in 30 games for the OHL Guelph Storm and won a gold medal with Canada's entry at the World Junior Championship, but a high-ankle sprain sustained at the tournament cost him a big part of the year. After his junior season ended, Fabbri played three games with the Blues' AHL affiliate in Chicago, collecting four points. Fabbri has added weight in an effort to make the Blues and have success in the NHL, but the most likely scenario is for him to spend one more year in the junior ranks before moving up to the NHL.

The Blues snagged Fabbri with the 21st overall pick in June’s draft, after the 18-year-old pieced together a 45-goal, 87-point campaign with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. Even though he’s ticketed for another couple of seasons at the junior level, he immediately becomes one of the top forward prospects in the Blues’ farm system. As is typical with most undersized scorers, Fabbri’s game is predicated on speed, and the Blues will bank on his skills overcoming his physical disadvantages. He did suffer a leg injury in an exhibition during Canada’s junior development camp in August, but is generally expected to be ready to go for the start of the OHL season.