Nashville Predators 2024-25 Player Spotlight: Dante Fabbro the odd man out?

Dante Fabbro rolls into the 2024-25 season as the only defenseman on the Nashville Predators not currently signed through the 2026 season. He comes into the year on a one-year "prove it" deal that will not only decide his fate with the Predators but may dictate the future of his entire NHL career.

It would be safe to say that Fabbro is under as much if not more pressure than any other Predators player.

Last season featured ups and down for Fabbro

There were highs and lows for Fabbro last year and a coach who put him very much on notice. Fabbro appeared in 56 games, notching 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) while finding his place in the lineup very much in question.

Fabbro was kept out for a three-week stretch with injury, and also found himself being healthy scratched on several occasions by Head Coach Andrew Brunette, who would at times favor other defenders with other skill sets over Fabbro.

During the season Fabbro played the most with two different partners. His most frequent linemate was Roman Josi. They skated together for 604 minutes over 54 games.

The other was Jeremy Lauzon, who he skated with for a total of 116 minutes over 42 total games.

Now you could say that Fabbro was sheltered by having Josi as his primary linemate, but Josi spread the love around to everyone, spending at least 100 minutes with Alexander Carrier, Tyson Barrie, Luke Schenn, and Ryan McDonagh all throughout the year.

Fabbro worked a decent two-way game, and had a chance at a career year, but just couldn't play enough games to make the year worth it, but that might've just been the bump that came from the new system in place. He didn't exactly impress the coaching staff, but they favored stability on the back end and gave him one more year to try and sway them one way or another.

The upcoming season is a "prove it" year for Fabbro with Predators

The key for Fabbro is to stay on the ice. If he's able to stay latched onto Josi, which is who he was tied to more than any other player last season, he should be on the ice for plenty of offensive opportunities.

Now when these arise, Fabbro has to balance between upping his shot output (a paltry 65 on goal last year) and deferring to Josi or the crop of talented forwards.

In addition to pushing forward and shooting more, Fabbro needs to make sure he ups his aggression slightly on the defensive side of the puck as well. Narrowing his takeaway/giveaway margins (10 to 40) will go a long way to earning him the faith of the coaching staff.

Fabbro's hits and aggression in zone could certainly be upped, as long as it doesn't take away from his shot blocking, one of his most honed defensive skills. He was 5th on the team despite playing between 25 to 30 fewer games than the other leaders.

The obligation to defense has to come first for Fabbro to be successful. However his offensive numbers have to show a slight uptick, mostly just to show that he's engaged at both ends of the ice. If he can do this, Fabbro should noticeably pop more on the ice. Even if he's unsuccessful, the effort to shoot more and to create more chances in the offensive zone should pay dividends in the long run.

It still might not be enough for Fabbro to keep his spot long-term, as the defensive cupboard for the Predators is pretty full. He might end up being this season's trade bait, especially if Spencer Stastney emerges as an everyday player.

If the writing is on the wall, Fabbro is playing for his next contract and his NHL life.