Three days ago, we covered news that the Pittsburgh Penguins were bringing veteran winger Robby Fabbri to their training camp on a PTO. Today, Fabbri spoke to the media in Pittsburgh and divulged new details on his offseason and how he came to sign his PTO with the Penguins. Fabbri told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Matt Vensel that his decision-making process “came down to the very last day,” adding that there were “a handful of teams circling ever since July 1” but he ultimately could not land a full contract offer.
That Fabbri had to settle for a PTO should not come as a huge surprise, as despite the winger’s clear talent, he has struggled immensely to stay healthy throughout his 442-game NHL career. As Vensel explained in his piece, Fabbri “has a history of knee issues” and the combination of knee troubles alongside a broken hand limited Fabbri to just 44 games and 16 points last season. But the year before, in 2023-24, Fabbri was a solid contributor, scoring 18 goals in 68 games played. Still just 29 years old, Fabbri offers the Penguins an experienced veteran option to occupy a winger spot should one of their young players struggle in training camp or the preseason, and it would be difficult to imagine Fabbri going the entire preseason process without eventually landing a permanent place to play the 2025-26 season.
Some other notes from across the Metro Division:
- Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported today that Penguins minor-league goaltender Taylor Gauthier will be sidelined “longer-term” due to an undisclosed injury. Gauthier, 24, is signed to an AHL contract and was expected to serve as depth for the club’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. The 24-year-old turned pro in 2022-23 and got into 20 AHL games, going 8-3-6 with a .907 save percentage. For the last two seasons, Gauthier has been largely an ECHL goalie who has played sporadically in the AHL – he posted a strong .928 save percentage in 30 ECHL games in 2024-25 and got into one AHL game – a 32-save shutout. In addition to Gauthier, the Penguins also have Kazakh netminder Maxim Pavlenko signed to an AHL deal to provide further depth.
- New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider has been cleared for contact, reported the New York Post’s Mollie Walker. The 24-year-old defenseman is dealing with a shoulder ailment, and it had been previously reported that Schneider’s hope is to be ready to play in the team’s final few preseason contests. This injury won’t play any major role in the Rangers’ roster-building calculus as Schneider’s spot in the club’s lineup is guaranteed. He’s been a steady defensive force for the Rangers since making his NHL debut in 2021-22, and logged almost 18 minutes per game, including time on the penalty kill, last season.