Breaking NHL Signing: Columbus Blue Jackets Lock In UFA Dante Fabbro On Big Extension

Dante Fabbro made a tremendous impression on the Columbus Blue Jackets in his 62 games there this past season, and the pending UFA has now been rewarded with a four-year extension, avoiding free agency.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Dante Fabbro to a four-year, $4.125M AAV extension, per @DarrenDreger pic.twitter.com/jkgaSdJUG8
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 29, 2025

Fabbro posted 26 points in 62 games with a plus/minus rating of +23, and was an ideal partner for Zach Werenski on the team's top defense pairing.

“Dante was a great addition to our team last season, and keeping him in Columbus was a priority,” Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “He is a smart, versatile defenseman who moves the puck very well and can play in all situations. We are thrilled that he will continue to be an important part of our club moving forward."

It's a great turn of events for Fabbro over the last eight months. He had become an afterthought in Nashville, where he spent the first six+ years of his career, and they placed him on waivers back in November, when Columbus jumped in and claimed him. The Predators' loss was the Blue Jackets' gain.

Fabbro, 27, is a former first-round selection in the NHL Draft (17^th overall in 2016) and has recorded 98 points and 613 blocked shots in 377 career games, with a +29 rating.