After the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup last season, Robby Fabbri was a restricted free agent. Fabbri signed a one-year, prove-it deal with the Blues, but his agent told general manager Doug Armstrong: if Fabbri wasn't going to be a regular in the lineup, the 23-year-old wanted a fresh start with a new team. Armstrong agreed, but asked Fabbri and his agent to be patient.
Fabbri, St. Louis' 2014 first-round pick, was a scratch for eight of the team's first 17 games. The Blues lost Vladimir Tarasenko for at least five months, and Fabbri still couldn't crack the regular lineup.