Former Detroit Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri saw his tenure with the organization come to a close last offseason when he was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks, who are overseen by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman's former Detroit teammate and assistant GM Pat Verbeek. 

In his first and only season in Southern California, Fabbri recorded eight goals and eight assists in yet another injury-shortened campaign. He underwent surgery in November to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, sidelining him for several weeks.

As if that weren't enough, he also suffered a season-ending hand injury in February. 

Entering this offseason as an unrestricted free agent, Fabbri was unable to land a new NHL contract but has now been given a chance to earn one. 

He's accepted a Professional Tryout Agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins: 

Hearing the Penguins will bring Robby Fabbri to training camp on PTO.

Former first-round pick. Has 106 goals and 216 points in 442 career games. Spent last season with Anaheim.

— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) September 17, 2025

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Fabbri’s NHL career, which began when he was selected in the first round (21st overall) by the St. Louis Blues in 2014, has been plagued by more major injuries than many players endure in their entire careers.

He tore the ACL in his left knee twice during his time with the Blues, then suffered another ACL tear, this time in his right knee, while with Detroit in 2022. He later missed the final weeks of the 2022-23 season after undergoing yet another surgery on his left knee.

For his perseverance and dedication, he was named the Red Wings’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy that season.

Acquired from the Blues in November 2019 in exchange for Jacob de la Rose, Fabbri was one of the few bright spots in Detroit’s lineup during the difficult 2019-20 campaign.

In what proved to be his final season with the Red Wings in 2023-24, he tallied 18 goals and 14 assists while appearing in 68 games, the second-highest total of his career.

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New faces, young roster hopefuls and more in Flyers training camp storylines originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

At the start of Rick Tocchet’s introductory press conference, Danny Briere wanted to make one thing clear.

“The plan doesn’t change here,” the general manager said in May, sitting alongside his new head coach.

Briere reiterated that sentiment Tuesday with his rebuilding club two days out from training camp. Despite a five-year playoff drought, matching the worst in franchise history, the Flyers don’t have a postseason-or-bust mindset for 2025-26.

But, without losing focus of the long-term vision, they do have a pressure and need to get better.

“Going into the season, certainly, the message is we expect our team to take a step forward and try to help them, but not at the detriment of the future of this organization,” Briere said. “We don’t feel we’re there, we’re still kind of building this thing brick by brick and that’s the approach still going. Now, if there’s an opportunity, we’re going to jump on it. But we’re still in the early stages of where we want to take this organization.”

Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones are entering Year 3 of their tenure. Their future-centric plan has the support of ownership.

“The goal is to build a team that’s going to become a contender for years to come,” Briere said. “The goal is not just to make the playoffs one year, get knocked out, disappear for two years. … It’s about building a team that eventually will have a shot at winning some rounds and winning a Stanley Cup for years to come and be there year after year.”

On Thursday, the Flyers open their 2025 camp, Tocchet’s first as head coach of the club.

The camp roster and schedule can be found here. Let’s get into storylines for camp.

Competition up front

Not only do the Flyers like that they have some young forwards vying for the roster, but they’re also eager to watch a ton of guys battle for roles.

The Flyers feel they have more options because of offseason additions and prospects knocking at the door.

“There’s going to be some internal fighting for responsibilities,” Briere said, “and that’s what I’m excited about.”

Can Trevor Zegras solidify himself as a top-six center? The Flyers traded for the talented 24-year-old in June. He already has two seasons of 60-plus points on his résumé, but he’s coming off two injury-riddled, disappointing seasons. Over those two seasons, he bounced to the wing.

“I’ve played center kind of my whole career up until two seasons ago,” Zegras said in June. “I’ve always felt more comfortable there. I think there are definitely areas that I need to work on, whether it’s in the faceoff circle or below the goal line or in front of the net in the D-zone.”

And what kind of lift can Christian Dvorak provide down the middle? The Flyers signed the 29-year-old to a one-year deal in July. He’s a bottom-six pivot who had his best NHL season under Tocchet with the Coyotes in 2019-20.

“He helped me out a lot in Arizona as a young guy, we had a really young team there and he was really good with us,” Dvorak said in July. “I know he’s going to be great with the young guys here in Philly.”

Last October, the Flyers had forwards Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton and Ryan Poehling in their season-opening lineup. Farabee and Frost were traded to the Flames in January, Laughton was dealt to the Maple Leafs in March and Poehling went to the Ducks in the Zegras trade.

“The trades of Farabee, Frost, Laughton, the reality is those guys were starting to lose responsibilities because our young guys were starting to step up,” Briere said. “Now we have more young guys that are pushing and that, to me, is what is exciting.

“Nobody can be comfortable or happy with what they’ve done in the past. They’ve got to keep getting better and better, and that includes all our veterans, because our young guys are starting to push and they want more and they’re hungry for more.”

Alex Bump might be the hungriest of the Flyers’ prospects. He could crack the season-opening roster as a 21-year-old winger. He’d seemingly have to beat out a veteran like Rodrigo Abols or Nicolas Deslauriers for a lineup spot. We’ll see if the Flyers give him a look on the second or third line throughout camp and the preseason.

The same goes for Nikita Grebenkin, a 22-year-old winger who had a goal and two assists over the pair of rookie games last weekend. The 19-year-old Jett Luchanko is also in the mix at center and could give the Flyers a tough decision.

Derek Souders/NBC Sports Philadelphia

Better in net?

Goaltending remains the biggest question for the Flyers’ present and future.

Last season, the club had an NHL-worst save percentage at .872. The season before that, it was tied with the Senators for the league’s worst mark at .884.

At the end of last season, Briere challenged his goaltenders, informing them that he’d be bringing in outside help. He signed Dan Vladar to a two-year deal in July. The Flyers are hoping Tocchet’s preferred style of play and Vladar’s experience relieve the burden on Samuel Ersson, who turns only 26 years old in October.

“I expect the goaltending to be better, no doubt about it,” Briere said. “I think also the system might protect them a little better, that Rick Tocchet and his staff are going to put forth. … I think Vladar will come in and probably be a little bit more support for Sam.

“But we do believe in Sam still. He has shown some flashes. I think with Sam, having a guy there to protect him and not expecting him to play three games a week should probably help Sam in the long run, that’s my feeling. But Sam is still developing and we still believe in him.”

This season is a big one for Ersson. It’s a contract year and the 28-year-old Vladar is aiming to play more than he did with the Flames.

“I’m a big believer in Sam Ersson,” Jones said a week ago. “I think that Sam is in a position now age-wise and being pushed by the depth at that position now, that it’s going to benefit him. I think that Sam is going to stand up to the test here this year.”

The trade of Ivan Fedotov three days ago cleared some cap space for the Flyers and it also provided a clearer picture of their tandem at AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. Aleksei Kolosov, a 2021 third-rounder, is No. 3 on the Flyers’ depth chart and Carson Bjarnason, a 2023 second-rounder, is No. 4 as he turns pro this season.

More: Carter Hart, Flyers rule out any chance of goalie’s return to Philly

Getting defensive

Half of the Flyers’ defense appears like it could be jostling for minutes and responsibilities.

There’s even a job up for grabs with Rasmus Ristolainen’s absence. As expected, the 30-year-old will miss camp and the early part of the season as he recovers from surgery on a second triceps tendon rupture.

“Risto is moving ahead,” Briere said. “We knew all along that he wouldn’t start the season, but everything is looking good for him to meet up with the team in hopefully the first month and a half, two months of the season, at some point. On that front, it’s trending in the right direction.”

The Flyers know what they have in Travis Sanheim and Nick Seeler. It’ll be interesting to see how the new coaching staff utilizes Cam York. The 24-year-old looks poised for a rebound season after he re-signed in July to a five-year, $25.75 million contract.

Jamie Drysdale is still really young, but he’s in a contract year and searching for more consistency. Egor Zamula is also in a contract year and could be competing for games with free-agent additions Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert.

Is Emil Andrae ready to become a regular? And could Helge Grans, Hunter McDonald or Oliver Bonk work their way to the big club?

“I don’t know the exact roster spots that we have available because we have different options,” Briere said. “We could go with 13 or 14 forwards, we could go seven or eight D, so those are all things, depending on how guys perform during camp, that we’re going to evaluate.”

There are a lot of reasons to keep Matt Grzelcyk beyond his training camp PTO. The Chicago Blackhawks lack veteran depth on the blue line and proven puck movers over 82 games. Plenty of young players project to have that ability, but there is no evidence quite yet. 

There is also a lack of experience playing with truly elite players in the locker room. Guys like Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Nick Foligno have been around some incredible players, but Grzelcyk may have the most impressive list of former teammates. 

Of course, the Boston Bruins selected Matt Grzelcyk with a third-round pick (85th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft. He ended up playing with them for parts of 8 seasons. 

During that time, he was a great defender with some puck-moving ability. He played an important role on some great teams alongside superstars like Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, David Pastrnak, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, and Tuukka Rask. 

Last season, as a depth defenseman on the team, Grzelcyk played with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored 40 points, which is a career high for him. There are other keys to being a great defenseman in the NHL besides points, but these are some good numbers. 

Despite being a lousy team overall, he got to share the ice with legends like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang. So with both of his NHL teams up to this point, he has had some of the best teammates the game has had to offer in the last 10 years. Experiences like this make him the type of veteran worth considering for a young locker room. 

Both on and off the ice, Grzelcyk can help players looking to become elite like some of his former teammates. Will Connor Bedard,  Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, or Artyom Levshunov reach that tier? It would take some time, but it’s possible. 

Grzelcyk can help them with his play, which is the most important thing, but he can also give them knowledge on how superstars carry themselves if they were to inquire. 

It isn’t a guarantee that Grzelcyk makes the team, but this level of time spent with good players is a checked box that makes him worth considering for a roster spot. 

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced their full 2025-26 training camp roster on Wednesday, since camp is set to start on Thursday. 

They invited 69 players to camp, and the roster is obviously headlined by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. There are also a lot of other returning players on the roster, including Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Erik Karlsson, Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen, and Blake Lizotte.

The roster includes 37 forwards, 24 defensemen, and eight goaltenders. One of the goaltenders is Marc-Andre Fleury, who will practice with the team on September 26 before playing in part of the Penguins' preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on September 27.

Tickets for that game continue to skyrocket since it will be the final time that Penguins fans will get to see Fleury play in a Penguins uniform. Fleury is one of five players attending camp on a professional tryout contract, joining Robby Fabbri, Brett Murray, Cal Burke, and Jake Livingstone.

Some of the top prospects in the Penguins' system will also get to attend camp, including Ville Koivunen, Harrison Brunicke, Sergei Murashov, Emil Pieniniemi, Owen Pickering, and Ben Kindel. There are other prospects who will be there, including Rutger McGroarty, Bill Zonnon, Tanner Howe, and Peyton Kettles, but they aren't cleared to practice since they're injured. 

Veteran forward Noel Acciari, who has been with the team for the last two seasons, is also banged up and won't be practicing to start camp. 

All training camp practices will be held at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex and will be free and open to the public. The first practice is set to get underway on Thursday at 8:45 a.m. ET.

You can view the full training camp roster here.

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The Los Angeles Kings are just a few weeks away from training camp and less than a month from opening night. For this season, there are still talks around the roster lacking a little firepower, but it's good enough to make the postseason and go home early again. 

However, with a few roster spots still available, the Kings should consider targeting restricted free agents after the market thins out. The question then becomes whether the Kings can tap into the restricted free agent (RFA) pool to add young, high-end talent.

It’s a long path, but one worth examining.

ONLY 20 DAYS TO GO UNTIL PUCK DROP 🫨

And until we see @NHLFantasy's top 20 #FantasyHockey breakout candidates hit the ice — see the full list here: https://t.co/XT8EWvVk6s#NHLFaceOffpic.twitter.com/Ss9X6BXDkB

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Why RFAs Are Rarely Targeted

With the Kings needing fresh talent and the organization looking for answers after repeated playoff disappointment, it’s fair to ask whether this could be the moment LA takes a swing.

LA needs to fill some vacant spots on the roster, especially after Corey Perry’s injury, who is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after undergoing knee surgery. The Kings can sign a young talent in the market who is looking to prove something and get a contract offer. 

The Kings’ Needs and Outlook

Los Angeles is pressed against the salary cap with long-term deals for Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Kevin Fiala already on the books. They'll need to manipulate things carefully if they're to make a significant addition.

What they need is clear: scoring depth behind Fiala, long-term center assistance with Kopitar aging, and young defensemen who can grow into bigger roles. With that as context, here's a look at which RFAs are a fit — and how likely each might be.

Dream Scenarios (Unrealistic, but Fun to Imagine)

Mason McTavish (Ducks): Anaheim would never let a top young center cross the freeway to LA. Still, Anaheim is listening to trade offers from several teams interested in McTavish, so it is possible. Still, the Ducks and McTavish will most likely sign a long-term deal, forcing the Kings to give up a lot of their young pieces for him in a trade to make it possible.  

Intriguing but Complicated

Luke Evangelista (Predators): A skilled forward with offensive upside, Evangelista could complement LA’s forward group. Nashville would likely match any reasonable offer, but the deal between the two has continued to linger and caused frustration from Evangelista’s side.

So, that gives another team like the Kings a chance to step in and give Evangelista an offer or come up with a trade, but we will have to wait and see how the situation ends with both parties. 

Luke Hughes (Devils): A left-shot defenseman with elite skating, puck-moving ability, and offensive upside. That’s precisely the type of player LA could use as Drew Doughty gets older. The Kings could benefit from picking up Hughes and moving into developing him for the future, as Doughty is slowly declining at his age. 

Why It’s Unrealistic 

Even though Luke isn’t on the same level as his brother Jack, he’s still improving and has shown significant progress this past season. So, it would be doubtful that the Devils would move him or let him go without offering a long-term contract, which is most likely to happen. 

However, it’s still possible that Hughes signs elsewhere if contract talks stall. Since the Kings aren't his top destination, a trade would be necessary, involving the Devils asking for draft compensation and more to finalize the deal.  

Realistic Options

Wyatt Kaiser (Blackhawks): Still developing, the young defenseman could provide organizational depth and long-term upside. With the Kings needing blue-line reinforcements, Kaiser represents a more practical type of target.

The Verdict

While the idea of Mason McTavish in a Kings jersey is fun for fans, the reality is that LA’s best chance in the RFA market lies with the most realistic options like Evangelista, Kaiser, and maybe Hughes if the Kings get creative and really want to target him. These aren’t flashy names, but they could fill immediate needs while still fitting the cap structure.

There's going to be even more competition when the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp gets underway on Thursday.

According to Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports, the Penguins are bringing forwards Robby Fabbri and Brett Murray to training camp on professional tryout contracts. 

Fabbri spent the 2024-25 season with the Anaheim Ducks but was limited to 44 games, finishing with eight goals and 16 points. He has six double-digit goal seasons during his career and scored 18 goals and compiled 32 points during the 2023-24 season with the Detroit Red Wings. 

His best individual season came in 2015-16 when he was a member of the St. Louis Blues, finishing with 18 goals and 37 points in 72 games. When healthy, he's a good depth player, but has been banged up a lot during his career. 

Murray has spent his entire pro career with the Buffalo Sabres organization and has compiled two goals and six points in 26 NHL games. He has played in 325 AHL games with the Rochester Americans and has 100 goals and 206 points. 

The first practice of Penguins training camp will start at 8:45 a.m. ET on Thursday from the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Each practice is free and open to the public. 

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