Robby Fabbri has signed a professional tryout with the Hamilton Hammers, the Islanders' new AHL affiliate, the club announced earlier today.
The Hammers have had a rough start to their inaugural season. They sit at 3-8-2 and have been scrambling for forward help, so Friday brought two tryout deals.
Fabbri is the bigger name. The 30-year-old from Mississauga has played 463 NHL games for the Blues, Red Wings, Ducks and Wild, with 108 goals and 113 assists. St. Louis took him in the first round in 2014.
He announced himself as a rookie in 2015-16 with 18 goals and 37 points in 72 games. Both remain career highs.
Then the knees took over. Multiple injuries cost him more than 100 games between 2016 and 2020, but he was still around to win a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019.
His last NHL stretch came in 2025-26. He started in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, then signed a two-way deal with St. Louis in December and played a fourth-line role. He had four points in 15 games.
When Robert Thomas came back from a month away, Fabbri hit waivers and the Wild claimed him. He got into six more games.
What a 25-game tryout means for Fabbri
An AHL tryout can last up to 25 games. The team can end it at any point or turn it into a standard contract if the player shows he belongs.
Fabbri has only nine AHL games on his résumé, so this is new territory for a player with a Cup ring. Nobody is handing him anything in Hamilton.
The other addition is Antonio Stranges, a 24-year-old forward Dallas drafted in the fourth round in 2020. He has spent his whole pro career in the Texas Stars organization, with 113 points in 208 AHL games.
Last season he had 14 goals and 34 points in 70 games. He's a very different case from Fabbri, a young player looking for a new chance.
Hamilton's lineup has been stretched thin partly because Mitchell Chaffee, who led the team in scoring early, has spent most of a month with the Islanders. He has one goal in seven NHL games. The Islanders also signed Ben Hutton to a tryout earlier this week, so this affiliate is clearly becoming a place for veterans to prove themselves.
For Hamilton, this is a smart, low-risk move. For Fabbri, the window is narrowing fast, and a team at 3-8-2 can offer plenty of minutes to anyone who produces. If he does, his 25 games will tell the story.
Quick hits
MINNESOTA WILD: Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno won't play tonight against the Sharks, Michael Russo reports. That's two regulars out for a team sitting first in the Central, so depth gets tested.
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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: John Tavares figures he'll be back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Habs, per Terry Koshan. That's a welcome update for Toronto heading into a big game.
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ST. LOUIS BLUES: Jeremy Rutherford reports the Blues have recalled Logan Mailloux from his conditioning assignment. He has joined the team ahead of the Nashville game.
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DALLAS STARS: Glen Gulutzan says Miro Heiskanen is doubtful to play Saturday against San Jose. Losing him would hurt a Stars team that just dropped a shootout in Columbus.
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BUFFALO SABRES: Ryan McLeod will be a healthy scratch tonight when the Sabres host the Blue Jackets, NHL Rosters reports. A surprise sit-down for a forward fans usually see in the lineup.
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Will Robby Fabbri earn another NHL game this season?
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