St. Louis Blues: Robby Fabbri Is In Good Company

Robby Fabbri has been a revelation for the St. Louis Blues not only this postseason, but this entire season as well. His accomplishments have put him with some lofty names and it’s well deserved.

In Robby Fabbri‘s first year in the NHL, he has amazed. Not only with his skill, but his will to win and his ability to play beyond his years.

In his first season in the league he scored 37 points in the regular season to go along with 18 goals. As a rookie, he earned time on the powerplay. He had two powerplay goals and six assists.

While those don’t seem like lofty numbers, you have to realize it came on powerplay time given from a coach that has routinely prized veterans. Most rookies wouldn’t even sniff the powerplay unit under Ken Hitchcock in the past, but Fabbri pushed the door open.

To further give some context to how good he has been in his first NHL season, one look no further than another phenom in Vladimir Tarasenko. In Tarasenko’s first full season in the NHL he had 43 points and 21 goals.

That’s not to say that Fabbri will be the next Tarasenko, but it gives one confidence that the Blues could have two legitimate scorers on the roster. That’s two scorers with youth, room to get even better and better still, taking pressure off someone like Jaden Schwartz, who can also produce.

Fabbri’s ascension has had a lot to do with his own talents, but also to the line combination of Troy Brouwer and Paul Stastny.

May 7, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues center Robby Fabbri (15) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period in game five of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

That combination set up four regular season goals for Fabbri and two in the playoffs. They combined for 35 regular season points together and 17 points in the playoffs. They had nine points and three goals together in Game 7 against Dallas alone.

On top of playing well with veterans like Stastny and Brouwer, Fabbri’s scoring touch and unselfish, yet smart play have put him among some other strong names.

Fabbri’s performance in Game 7 alone made him the youngest player in NHL history to score three points in a Game 7. The names he passed up on that list include Justin Williams and Alex Tanguay. Not huge names in the pantheon of the NHL, but when you think about all the seventh games played over history and to have done it quicker than guys like Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, or Jagr is imprssive.

He’s also moving up the Blues own list at a good clip. After two rounds of play in the playoffs, Fabbri has 13 points and doesn’t look like he’s slowing up. That puts him only five points behind the all-time leader in Blues rookie points. Joe Mullen has that top spot.

Fabbri passed up or tied Rod Brind’Amour (13), Frank St. Marseille (13) and Doug Gilmour (11). You can always make the argument that Fabbri could fall off or he’s a flash in the pan, but those guys went on to have solid to great careers.

Fabbri’s size is and always will be a detraction. It likely factored into him not making the roster last season, because he had a very good training camp. It factored into him not being drafted higher than he was. It factors into team’s approach to him as well, thinking they can bang him around.

The young man has shrugged it all off and made himself into an NHL player and a fine one at that. We’re still at that stage where you don’t want to be putting the cart before the horse, but it’s hard not to.

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Fabbri still has plenty of upside. He’s young and skilled, but still has room to learn more nuances of the pro game. He can still get stronger and add a little more size to avoid injury but not so much to take speed away. He’s going to get better.

He plays well with just about anyone. He’s been paired up with Stastny, Brouwer, Jori Lehtera, Tarasenko, Patrik Berglund and David Backes. He seemed to have a good on-ice rapport with Ty Rattie, who is another small yet talented winger in the shadows.

Rookies can go either way. They can get big heads and think it’ll always be as easy as it is now. They can forget the work it took them and others to get to a conference final and think that’s just how every season is. Fabbri doesn’t strike anyone as that player.

He’s had to prove himself and done so rapidly. He’s played in a fashion to where the Blues had no choice but to keep him in the lineup and rewarded them for doing so. Heck, the guy has made it so much in a short amount of time that his hair has its own twitter handle.

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Time will tell how Fabbri’s future eventually plays out. However, considering the company he’s in on the ice and the company he now shares in record books, he’s going to have a bright career.

For now fans only want him to continue to have a bright playoff season. He’s doing just that and if he keeps scoring, keeps getting to the high percentage areas of the ice and keeps making his teammates better, then the future – both immediate and long-term – looks great.

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