Red Wings Review: Robby Fabbri’s Future

Season-ending knee surgery from the 2021-22 campaign put Fabbri on the shelf for the first 35 games of the 2022-23 season. He played his first game on Jan. 4 but on March 8, playing against the Chicago Blackhawks, Fabbri again aggravated his knee. He underwent season-ending surgery again, for the fourth time during his NHL career.

2022-23 Red Wings Highlights

In his second game back from surgery, Fabbri scored against the Florida Panthers. He would tally three goals over his first four games, two of them game winners.

“I put in a lot of hard work, a lot of days in that 10 months to be ready and be in the best shape possible coming back,” Fabbri said. “Coming in with everyone in midseason form and teams rolling and I’m just trying to find my game, I thought I did a really good job.”

2022-23 Red Wings Lowlight

At first, it seemed like an innocuous incident when Fabbri and Chicago forward Tyler Johnson collided knee on knee in that March 8 game. However, as Fabbri was struggling to make it off the ice, it quickly became apparent that he was in some jeopardy.

Knowing his history – three reconstructive knee surgeries — the worst was originally feared. Fortunately, in this case, even though another surgery was required, it wasn’t as bad as his previous knee eposides.

“For sure, ready for Day 1 in camp,” Fabbri said. “Just a quick clean up. It’s nothing like I dealt with before. This is a little quicker rehab for sure.”

What Does His Detroit Future Holds

What’s been evident throughout his four seasons with Detroit is that when Fabbri is part of the lineup, he’s both a valuable and productive player. Fabbri can play any forward position. He had scored 17 goals in 56 games in 2021-22, one shy of his career high, when he season was brought to a halt by the knee injury.

“At the end of the day for me, what I focus on for myself is being around the net, getting to the dirty areas,” Fabbri said. “I know where my strengths are and that’s being intense in front of the net and battling.”

He’s signed for two more seasons and figures to be part of the club going forward.