With NHL reps within reach, Bruins’ Fabian Lysell starts up his most critical camp yet
"The rest of the opportunities are right in front of him."
Fabian Lysell knows what’s at stake this fall.
The 21-year-old winger has yet to earn a call-up to the NHL ranks so far in his promising career — some of that being a byproduct of rotten injury luck during the spring.
But that might change in 2024-25 for Boston’s top prospect.
Not only has the fleet-footed forward’s development garnered praise from his Providence coaches, but there’s a vacancy within Boston’s top-six grouping — one that should appeal to a player with Lysell’s high-end skillset.
And with the Bruins in desperate need of internal offensive production following the free-agent departure of Jake DeBrusk, Boston plans on giving Lysell every opportunity to try to take his claim for a fixed role in this reworked lineup.
“He’s visibly stronger,” Jim Montgomery said of his first impressions of Lysell. “You can see him wanting pucks more, going to get more pucks, and that’s what we want. He’s an offensively gifted player. We want the puck on his stick. He did a good job of competing for pucks and having the puck more.”
Had it not been for both a shoulder injury and concussion suffered near the tail-end of Providence’s season, Lysell likely would have logged at least a few games with Boston already.
“We were really excited about where he was tracking and had he continued along that path and stayed healthy, he would have gotten an opportunity up top like a lot of other guys did,” Don Sweeney said of Lysell in June. “Because he had played that well.”
Even with those injury woes, Lysell still managed to make the most of his second full season in the AHL — scoring 15 goals and 50 total points over 56 games in the AHL.
While the recovery time from his injuries limited some of his time on the ice, Lysell dedicated most of his offseason toward rounding out his 5-foot-10 frame. He won’t be the most imposing force out on the frozen sheet, but Lysell’s willingness to challenge defenders and surge over the offensive blue line will be aided at the next level with some added bulk.
“I put a lot of work in the gym, getting stronger, getting heavier,” Lysell said. “It was just about getting into game shape. … I’m trying to improve in all areas of the game, especially off the puck, D-zone coverage, tracking, being more of a responsible player out there. And trying to build my offensive game. I want to be creative out there, so I’ll just keep building that.”
The Bruins will welcome a scenario where Lysell pops during preseason action and opens the regular season in a featured role. Not only does the 2021 first-round selection have the speed and creativity that has often been in short supply within Boston’s prospect pool, but it’d give Boston a high-ceiling, potent scoring threat accounting for just a $863,333 cap hit.
But as tempting as it might be to envision Lysell dangling past defenders and picking the top corner off feeds from Brad Marchand, the Bruins will not just handle those minutes to Lysell — not with several other contingency plans in place.
An established two-way player like Trent Frederic could hold some appeal on a top-six grouping already featuring Marchand and Charlie Coyle. Veteran Tyler Johnson — currently in camp on a PTO — holds a more established track record, while Lysell will also get some competition from fellow youngster Matthew Poitras, who is also playing on the wing during camp.
“I think Fabian will determine that,” Sweeney said Wednesday of Lysell’s viability as a top-six winger. “His one-on-one ability, his offensive attributes, I think are pretty darn good, and he’s been productive. As [Providence head coach Ryan Mougenel] would say, rounding out your game and being a reliable player and building a team game are all components of winning, and that’s what our club requires to play.
“And he’s got to buy into that. He’s also matured. So you have to hope that he can go in and compliment in any one of those roles. … I don’t think he’s a fourth-line, energy, penalty-killing guy at this point in his career. So that might be ill-fitting, but the rest of the opportunities are right in front of him.”
The Bruins are ready to give Lysell a shot. Now, it falls on the rookie to prove it.
“I’m just excited for it … just take it day by day and try to earn your spot,” Lysell noted.
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