The NHL offseason is upon us, and with free agency right around the corner, teams are beginning to develop their plans for the next few months. As for the Columbus Blue Jackets, it looks like they will be making an effort to keep one of their key free agents in town, as they have reportedly begun contract negotiations with defenseman Dante Fabbro.
The Blue Jackets scooped Fabbro up off waivers from the Nashville Predators early last season, and he ended up putting together the best year of his career. As a result, Columbus wants to do what they can to keep him in town, and it has resulted in them discussing a potential extension with Fabbro before he potentially hits the open market.
“The Columbus Blue Jackets have started contract negotiations with defenseman Dante Fabbro on a new deal,” David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported. “Despite reports suggesting a deal may be on the horizon, two separate sources told TFP talks have just begun, and a deal is not yet close,”
Blue Jackets hoping to keep Dante Fabbro in townArticle Continues Below
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Fabbro played in 62 games for the Blue Jackets last season, racking up nine goals and 17 assists, giving him 26 total points, which was a career high. Given how he quickly stepped up and became a contributor on their defense, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Columbus wants to keep Fabbro in town, as he’s only 27 years old, meaning he could become a key part of their future.
Given that he is fresh off the most impressive campaign of his career, though, Fabbro could opt to test the open market and see if he could get more money from another team across the league. The Blue Jackets are going to do their best to give him an offer that he wants to accept before he can hit free agency, though, and it will be worth keeping tabs on them to see if they are successful in their quest.
Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He received his Masters in Business Administration Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Nichols College. Previously, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided, Basketball Network, Athlon Sports, and The Sporting News. In addition to his work at ClutchPoints, Owen is also a Breaking News Writer at Heavy and a Content Producer for More Views Media.