The Columbus Blue Jackets got a preseason scare Monday night when defenseman Dante Fabbro left their game against the Detroit Red Wings and did not return because of an upper-body injury.
The team announced the news in the middle of the game, a rough development for a Columbus club that is trying to get through camp healthy as it prepares for a season aimed at ending the second-longest active Stanley Cup Playoff drought in the Eastern Conference.
Fabbro is projected to start the year on Columbus’ third defensive pair with Jake Christiansen, slotting in behind right-handed defensemen Damon Severson and Denton Mateychuk. If the injury keeps him out once the regular season begins, veteran Erik Gudbranson would be the top candidate to step into the lineup.
The 28-year-old native of British Columbia is entering the second season of a four-year deal with the Blue Jackets that carries a $4.125 million salary cap hit. He signed that contract with Columbus in the summer of 2025 after beginning his NHL career with the Nashville Predators, who selected him No. 17 overall in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Fabbro’s offensive numbers dipped last season. He finished with 11 points in 74 games after posting 26 points in 62 appearances in 2024-25. Over 451 regular-season games, he has 109 points, including 30 goals and 79 assists.
Monday’s game was Columbus’ first of four preseason matchups before the regular season. The Blue Jackets still have games coming against the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and another meeting with the Red Wings.
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Blue Jackets Roster Battle Starts Getting Real In First Preseason Look
The Blue Jackets are finally moving from camp skates to something closer to a real evaluation, with their first preseason game against the Red Wings set to give the staff a useful early look at a roster still taking shape. With only a limited number of exhibition games on the calendar and some restrictions on who can play, these openers carry a little more weight than usual, especially for a club trying to separate established pieces from the prospects pushing to matter.
That makes the first game a useful snapshot of a defense battle that has been building since camp began, while also creating room for younger players to show they belong in the conversation. Mathieu Olivier, Conor Garland, Denton Mateychuk, Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro are all expected to get in, so the Jackets should have enough regulars on the ice to make the matchup meaningful without losing sight of the bigger question: which players keep giving the coaching staff reasons to keep them around when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Camp Suddenly Has Two Contract Problems Fans Can't Ignore
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Kirill Marchenko adds another layer to the picture, because any conversation about moving him runs straight into the cost of keeping him. His next deal is expected to come in at a premium, which complicates both trade chatter and long-term planning for a team that cant afford many loose ends. For a Blue Jackets group trying to settle its roster and identity early, the contract questions are starting to pile up in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Offseason Plan Hinges On Two Crucial Contract Decisions
The Blue Jackets summer has turned into a waiting game, with front office plans being shaped less by outside trade chatter than by two key contract tracks. Columbus is working through a long-term extension for center Cole Fantilli, and the talks matter because of what they mean for the roster around him. Until that deal gets sorted out, the club is holding off on some of its other decisions while trying to keep its salary picture flexible.
Kirill Marchenko adds another layer to the puzzle. The winger is entering the final year of his contract, and his next deal could force Columbus to confront how much room it really has to maneuver under the cap. With both negotiations hanging over the offseason, the Blue Jackets trade posture and broader team-building plans may stay in limbo a little longer than they would like. [Read more 🡒]