Robby Fabbri and the Detroit Red Wings haven't started negotiations on a new contract, but the forward told The Detroit News he hopes to remain with them long-term.
"Everything has been great since the first day I came to Detroit," Fabbri said in remarks published Wednesday. "It's a great organization, great group of guys, a great opportunity here, so it's definitely a place I want to be and play for as long as I can. ... I was able to rejuvenate my career and they gave me a chance. I couldn't be happier."
Fabbri, who can become a restricted free agent after the season, was traded to the Red Wings by the St. Louis Blues for forward Jacob de la Rose on Nov. 6 and scored 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 52 games with Detroit before the NHL season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. Fabbri was limited to 83 games over the previous three seasons because of knee injuries.
A first-round pick (No. 21) by the Blues in the 2014 NHL Draft, Fabbri scored 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 72 games as a rookie in 2015-16 before he sustained a knee injury in each of the next two seasons and did not play at all in 2017-18.
He scored one goal in nine games for the Blues this season, and played 10 of 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season when St. Louis won the championship for the first time.
"It was definitely frustrating," the 24-year-old said. "If you ask any player that might not be getting in every game or getting moved up in the lineup, everyone wants to play and contribute. My time in St. Louis was great, a lot of good memories there and I left on good terms, [but] I was very happy with how the season played out.
"Getting that opportunity in Detroit, and it's something I've wanted for a little bit now, to just play again, and I wanted to be a regular player again and I knew when I was given an opportunity I wasn't going to let it go to waste."
Detroit (17-49-5, .275 points percentage) is not one of the 24 teams that will participate in the NHL Return to Play Plan that will decide the Stanley Cup winner.
