Ever since the Columbus Blue Jackets traded away Seth Jones in the summer of 2021, they have been searching for the right fit on the top defense pairing, alongside superstar Zach Werenski. Zach has had several partners in the interim, but none have fit better than waiver acquisition Dante Fabbro.
While Zach has been the talk of the league over the last few weeks, I don't think Fabbro is getting enough attention for what he's brought to the table. After all, this recent stretch of white-hot play from Werenski seems to have been unlocked, at least in part, by finding the right chemistry in his defense partner.
Fabbro certainly checks a lot of boxes. He's a simple player for the most part, reliable on both sides of the puck and with enough skill to keep pace with top of the lineup players. This predictable game has allowed Werenski to unlock his true potential as a rover on the ice, and the two quickly learned to read and play off of one another. Over the last three weeks, they have been nothing short of dynamic.
Fabbro is playing the best hockey of his career so far...
Nashville Predators fans were miffed when Fabbro was waived - and ultimately claimed by the Blue Jackets. At the time, we were very intrigued, and wondered if he would be able to play in this team's top-4. Being honest here, we didn't expect him to be playing at this level, and especially not for this long.
He wasn't able to crack the lineup with the Preds, getting into just 6 games on the season, scoring 0 points and carrying a -3 rating. But since joining the Blue Jackets, he's averaged over 22 minutes per night - 3 minutes more than his career best average - while scoring 3 goals, 6 points and a +14 rating in 10 games.
Fabbro is well on his way to smashing career highs in goals (5) and points (24) this season, in spite of the fact that he was left to the vultures by the team that drafted him in the first round back in 2016. He's played an amazing stretch of hockey since coming to Columbus.
Now, it goes without saying that this level of success will slow down at some point. Naturally, he won't shoot at better than 21% for the rest of the season. And, as good as he is, Werenski isn't likely going to play at a two point-per-game pace all year. But, they have steadied the ship and given this team its first true #1 defense pair in over three years.
Fabbro already goes down as one of the best waiver acquisitions in franchise history. Hopefully a change of scenery is just what he needed to jump start his once promising career.