Dante Fabbro Placed on Waivers By Predators in Surprise Move

After a brutal start to the season, the Nashville Predators are needing to shake things up, and the beginning of that process may have come today as they placed defenseman Dante Fabbro on waivers.

Really don’t understand what went wrong here for Dante Fabbro. https://t.co/sdVudVRbvl
— Nick Gray (@_NickGray) November 9, 2024

The former first-round pick has had a troubling trajectory over the past few seasons in Nashville, seeing his time on ice drop in each of the last four years, including this year's precipitous falloff to just 13:06 per game. He's also had more healthy scratches (8) than games played (6) of the Preds' 14 contests.

Fabbro, still just 26, has been mentioned as a prime trade candidate (and at least a couple of teams are said to have reached out last season), and he is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the current campaign, playing out the season on a one-year, $2.5 million cap hit.

With that expiring contract, it seems likely that he will be claimed on waivers, particularly from a younger team still on the rise with some cap room, willing to give the formerly highly-regarded blueliner a look.

The 17th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft had been a solid top-four D-man for Nashville in his first three seasons in the league, averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per night.

But things started to head south two seasons ago, when his TOI dropped by 90 seconds per game to just 17:27, then another minute was lopped off last year, down to this season's career low. He has zero points in six games with a plus/minus rating of -3.

The Predators have lost three straight and are now 4-9-1, in last place in the Central Division, with one of the worst goal differentials in the league. The team was expected to be a playoff contender this year after the splashy free agent acquisitions this past summer of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei.

We could see some more noteworthy moves to come in Nashville if they don't right the ship quickly.