Former 1st Round Pick Lands on Waivers and the Leafs Would Be Wise to Consider a Waiver Claim

It never hurts to have reinforcements on hand, and a player hitting the waiver wire today could provide some insurance on the back end for the Maple Leafs, if they get the opportunity.

The Nashville Predators have announced that defenseman Dante Fabbro has been placed on waivers on Saturday. NHL teams have 24 hours to submit a claim for him, or he'll pass through waivers and become eligible to be sent to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.

It has not been a great season so far for Fabbro. The once 17th overall pick of the Nashville Predators has played just 6 of the Predators' games so far in 2024-25, and is at a career low in ice-time when he has dressed. He has no goals and no points.

Still, there is some potential in the 26-year-old blueliner. Dante Fabbro was once a pretty solid contributor to the Preds' blueline, eating up a lot of minutes and playing in high-pressure situations. He does like to shoot and he's good at retrieving pucks.

The Maple Leafs, who recently confirmed just one change to the lineup for the game against the Montreal Canadiens tonight, don't currently have the cap space to accommodate Dante Fabbro's $2.5 million cap hit. However, they aren't far off, and GM Brad Treliving has taken chances on players who could benefit from a change of scenery in the past.

Fabbro would have to be passed over by quite a few other teams before the Toronto Maple Leafs would even get the chance at him, but I'm sure the homework is already being done, just in case.

The Nashville Predators drafted Fabbro with high hopes that he'd develop into a bona fide top-4 defenseman back in 2016. It looked like a very good thing for the first few years, but he seems to have hit a wall with the team. In 315 regular season NHL games, he has 16 goals and 72 points.