Blue Jackets Claim Former Predators Defenseman

After the Nashville Predators surprisingly placed one of their defensemen on waivers, the Columbus Blue Jackets added him to their roster.

Mar 30, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro (57) skates during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images / Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators entered the 2024-2025 NHL season with polar opposite expectations. The Predators were the largest spenders on the free agent market and painted themselves a Stanley Cup contender. The Blue Jackets had a rebuilding mindset and were rocked by the devastating loss of franchise player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.

But the season is roughly 20% complete and the Blue Jackets and Predators find themselves in completely different places than they thought they'd be. The Predators are struggling to win games and are occupying the basement of the Central Division while the Blue Jackets have played better than expected hockey while hovering around an even record.

The two organizations are unexpectedly working together as the Blue Jackets have claimed former Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro. The 26-year-old puck-mover had played his entire career in Nashville after being selected by the team in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft.

But things turned sour for Fabbro and the Predators. He was once a promising young defender and playing well ahead of his years. But his position on the depth chart has fallen over the past two seasons and despite signing a one-year extension earlier this year, it was clear that Fabbro would be playing elsewhere soon.

Now Fabbro has a new opportunity to play regular minutes with the Blue Jackets. Columbus has been ravaged by injuries and needed a right-handed defender specifically since the injury and subsequent surgery for veteran Erik Gudbranson. Fabbro slots in as a mobile and athletic defender who can play anywhere from 16-20 minutes dependably.

Fabbro is a veteran of 315 NHL games in his career. In that span, he has 16 goals and 56 assists for 72 points while maintaining an average of 18 minutes of ice-time per game.

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