The Ducks have acquired forward Robby Fabbri and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for prospect goalie Gage Alexander, both clubs confirmed Wednesday.
Fabbri, 28, is in the final year of his contract and will earn $4 million against the cap. The versatile attacker compiled 18 goals and 32 points in 68 games with Detroit last season, his ninth NHL campaign and fourth full season with the Red Wings.
That tied his career high in goals, set as a rookie in 2015-16 with the St. Louis Blues, who drafted Fabbri 21st overall in 2014’s first round.
Fabbri won the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2018-19, appearing in 10 playoff games. That was a transitional season for Fabbri, who dealt with a nasty array of knee issues that cost him the entire prior campaign.
He has had at least three knee injuries that have required surgery in his career, which have played a significant role in his missing double-digit games in every season he’s played. He tore his left anterior cruciate ligament twice with St. Louis and his right one once with Detroit.
When healthy, he has proven capable of providing depth scoring, sound positional defense, alacrity and a high compete level.
“Robby is a grit-and-sandpaper type of player that plays with energy and fits with what we are trying to do. He also possesses a nice combination of skill and scoring ability that we need,” said Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek, who was the assistant GM in Detroit when the Red Wings acquired Fabbri.
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The draft pick that the Ducks added will end up being the higher selection between Detroit’s own fourth-rounder next year or that of the Boston Bruins, which Detroit had picked up in a previous transaction.
Alexander was originally a fifth-round selection of the Ducks in 2021. He’s found limited traction at either level of the minor leagues (AHL or ECHL), allowing other Ducks netminding prospects, such as Damian Clara and Tomas Suchanek, to leapfrog him on the organizational depth chart.