After being drafted 21st overall by the Boston Bruins, forward Fabian Lysell brought what was perceived as immediate excitement into the organization. He has just come off a fantastic season with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL.
Lysell had played in 53 games, scoring 22 goals. He even added 40 assists to his total to give him a total of 62 points. To add fuel to the fire coming in, he also had a +10 rating. Fans were buzzing from day one, and they had good reason to be.
His first season of professional hockey with the Providence Bruins, however, told a completely different story. Lysell did play in one more game than the season before (54), but his scoring and ability to be on the right side of scoring chances was down.
Despite being scouted as a player with a “nearly perfect” skating form, according to Elite Prospects, and as being a “highly skilled forward” who “scores a lot of goals” according to his coach Anders Eriksen, his first year was a let down.
He scored just 14 goals, and collected just 23 assists. To top it all off, Lysell had -10 plus/minus rating. His next season with the P-Bruins, was a bit better, playing in 56 games scoring 15 goals and tallying 35 assists. He even improved his plus/minus rating to +6. Better numbers? Yes. Much improved? Not exactly.
Why should the Bruins keep him around?
The big question surrounding him is why he’s still around when there are players like John Beecher, Mason Lohrei and even Justin Brazeau passing him and going up to the NHL, is there really space for him on the roster?
The answer unfortunately cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, it all depends on if you are looking at long term or short term. In the short term, no, there is no room for him as every one else is performing.
The long term answer, however, is really where we find out why they should keep him around. The reasoning here is his age. When we reach the halfway point of the upcoming 2024-25 season, Lysell will only be 22-years-old. Youth will still be on his side and he will only be in his third season in pro hockey.
Lysell is signed through the 2025-26 season and only carries a cap hit of $863,333 for the next two seasons before becoming a restricted free agent. So, while he remains a relatively cheap asset, there are some reasons it might be a good time to move on from him.
Why should the Bruins let him go?
Now, with Lysell, it’s such a tricky situation, while having youth on his side is a good thing, it also makes him a valuable assett in trades. With a free agent market that is not exactly flush with talent, teams looking to improve will look to make trades.
With a lot of players, sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes to improve moving forward. In fact, a perfect example of that is Tyler Seguin, the only difference there is he got a chance out of training camp with the team, rather than sitting in Providence.
If the Bruins were to let Lysell go, there is a chance another team will take a shot on him purely based on his age and his skillset.
It’s no secret that Lysell is a very skilled player, he just has not shown it just yet in Providence. Given how keen Boston is on improving in the offseason and being aggressive in all facets, maybe it is time to explore other options.
