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Preds not worried they’ll lose Fabbro like they lost Vesey

2016 NHL Draft - Round One

BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 24: Dante Fabbro celebrates with the Nashville Predators after being selected 17th during round one of the 2016 NHL Draft on June 24, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Just because Jimmy Vesey spurned the Nashville Predators doesn’t mean they’re going to pressure Dante Fabbro to turn pro before he’s ready.

Fabbro, a defenseman, is off to Boston University in the fall. He was the 17th overall pick in the 2016 draft, after a couple of big seasons with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL.

“If Dante is a good player after a couple of years, we’ll certainly approach him,” Preds GM David Poile told The Tennessean. “If he needs four years, then we’ll wait. It’s all about relationships. We thought we had the right relationship with the Veseys, and apparently we didn’t. We certainly will try to do all the right things with the Fabbros.”

For the record, Poile doesn’t like the rule that will allow Vesey to become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15. He calls it a “loophole” and a “bad rule,” and he hopes it can be changed.

But the rule didn’t stop the Preds from picking Fabbro, so clearly there’s a confidence that they won’t lose him like they lost Vesey.

Fabbro has reportedly said he doesn’t expect to spend the full four years at BU, and that should make Preds fans happy. They’ll be watching his development closely, hoping it goes well enough that he can turn pro in a couple of years.

Related: Vesey still intends to go to free agency on Aug. 15