When the news initially broke that Robby Fabbri would begin the year with the St. Louis Blues out of training camp, it remained to be seen how long he’d be up due to the NHL’s slide rule. This rule states that if a player who is 18 or 19 years of age (as of September 15 of the signing year), does not play in a minimum of 10 NHL games their contract extends by one year. For instance, an entry-level contract would be valid for an additional season if the player doesn’t skate in 10 NHL games.
NHL teams manage these situations carefully as it can create big implications for contract and salary cap management. Teams have to debate whether the player’s impact on the current year outweighs the benefit of a contract extending to a another season.
In Fabbri’s case, the Blues want to keep him up on the NHL roster because he has proven to be a solid addition to the lineup. He has two goals and one assist through eight games and has looked like he belongs with the team. Fabbri even suffered a concussion, but returned and still looked formidable on offense.
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