Nashville Predators: Players Who Will be Critical to the Rebuild
By Chad Minton
![Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) talks with Predators right wing Eeli Tolvanen (11) during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) talks with Predators right wing Eeli Tolvanen (11) during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9d91a7bc5df38c49b98685846bc39fa7c13d8f1b7b6c32bc2f4e47359581e0e2.jpg)
Dante Fabbro
This is probably another unpopular opinion among fans, but it’s way too soon to pull the plug on Fabbro’s future with the Nashville Predators.
It’s totally fair to feel frustrated over Fabbro’s development, especially as an offensive player as a second-line defenseman. But he’s also in the midst of his first full season in the NHL. He actually just crossed the 82-game career mark in games played, so barely is he past a full season in the NHL.
Fabbro is on the last year of his entry level contract, so seeing the contract negotiations with him from the Predators front office will be interesting. There would be teams out there very interested in a young player like Fabbro who still has plenty of upside.
The Predators need to keep Fabbro and try to get him for a relatively team-friendly deal, and one that’s not more than two years if possible. I don’t think the market will be too hot for Fabbro, but there will be mild interest on the market if he does make it to the offseason.
There’s a lot of uncertainty with Mattias Ekholm‘s future, so keeping Fabbro becomes all the more important to keep as a future piece that should keep developing into a solid top-four defenseman.