Nashville Predators Struck Gold by Keeping Dante Fabbro

The Nashville Predators might’ve won the trade deadline with who they acquired, but they also won because they were able to keep Dante Fabbro in their system.

After a whole month of speculation that the Nashville Predators were going to have to give up their highly touted defensive prospect, Dante Fabbro, at the deadline in order to acquire the services of the talented forwards that were available on the market, the Preds were able to keep Fabbro while also acquiring two of the best forwards to be traded on deadline day.

Acquiring Wayne Simmonds and Mikael Granlund was a victory in itself, but also keeping Dante Fabbro in the process is even better. You may be asking, what’s so special about this Fabbro kid? Whelp, you’re about to find out now.

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Dante Fabbro was the 17th overall pick in the 2016 draft and is a 6’0 193 lb defenseman, he is currently 20 years old and in his junior season with the Boston University Terriers. He is currently second on the team in points, behind Philadelphia Flyers prospect Joel Farabee with 30 points, which is nearly double the amount of any other defenseman on the squad.

Fabbro also leads all Boston University defensemen in goals, with seven of them in the 33 games he has played this season. Boston University is currently having a rough season, being ranked outside of the top 20 schools in the nation and holding a sub .500 record of 14-15-4, but the blame certainly doesn’t lie on Fabbro.

Fabbro was a part of the Boston University squad that won their conference last season and made an NCAA Tournament appearance before falling to the Michigan Wolverines in the Regional Final.

Fabbro has a winning pedigree, which is perfect for the Nashville Predators, who are primed for cup runs for years to come, but he also has other intangibles that will surely serve the Preds.

He is a solid two-way defenseman with a very high offensive upside. He makes very good decisions under pressure and he is able to make plays at an elite level.  He is very good at using his stick and his body to break up passes and take the puck away from the opposition, and once he gets the puck, he can use his elite mobility to carry the puck up ice. Fabbro has a hard and accurate shot while also being able to direct play with his elite playmaking ability.

Fabbro has the complete packing when looking at what you would need in an elite defenseman, and looking at a Nashville Predators defensive core which is already amongst the league’s best, sliding Fabbro in would be the cherry on top.

Fabbro would be able to learn the NHL game behind elite defensemen like P.K. Subban and Roman Josi, which would also take a load of pressure off of him as he adjusts to playing at the highest level.

Once he’s ready, Dante Fabbro could become another valuable piece to the Predators monster defensive core and could be another great piece to the Nashville Predators championship puzzle.