BRIGHTON, Mass. — Fabian Lysell is a rookie. As such, the 2020 Boston Bruins first-rounder is eligible for the Prospects Challenge, which begins on Friday in Buffalo against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
But when a 25-player crew departs Boston on Thursday for the rookie tournament, Lysell will not be among them. The Bruins want the 21-year-old on equal footing with the rest of the varsity hopefuls when training camp opens on Sept. 18.
“When big camp opens, they want them extremely ready,” AHL Providence coach Ryan Mougenel said regarding management’s decision to withhold Lysell and fellow prospect Georgii Merkulov. “Not that the rookie camp wouldn’t be that for them. But you can get dinged up a little bit.”
Last September, Matt Poitras, Johnny Beecher and Mason Lohrei participated in the tournament. A month later, Poitras and Beecher made the big club.
Poitras and Beecher, however, were dark-horse candidates. Lysell is not. It’s one of the five reasons the third-year pro has a very good chance at making his first NHL roster this fall:
1. Lysell is more ready than ever
Last March, Lysell was roaring. He had seven points during a five-game scoring streak. But on March 23, Lysell catapulted into the Amica Mutual Pavilion boards during Providence’s 3-2 overtime loss to Charlotte. Lysell was concussed. He hurt his shoulder. Had it not been for the injuries, an NHL promotion was coming.
So with his injuries healed and a summer of training in the books, Lysell is better prepared to be an NHL right wing than at any time in his career. He has the speed, skill and courage to catch coach Jim Montgomery’s attention during camp.
“He knows how well he can play,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “He knows how much we were proud of the steps he had taken. He had a good camp last year. He’s just still got to continue to work on his complete game. One-on-one skills stuff and some of the stuff he can do to change a game are really good.”
2. There is an opportunity
Jake DeBrusk left for the Vancouver Canucks. Sweeney did not sign a replacement at No. 2 right wing.
One reason is because Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic can play next to Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle. But both of the veterans make the Bruins better when they play on the No. 3 line. Frederic could be the No. 3 left wing next to Geekie and Justin Brazeau. It would be a heavy line with a bent for puck possession.
Lysell, meanwhile, is fast enough to make himself available for scoring chances when Marchand and Coyle recover pucks. His perimeter speed could stretch out defenders and give Marchand and Coyle more room.
If the Bruins don’t believe Lysell is ready to play behind David Pastrnak, he could ease into the NHL as a No. 3 right wing. Lysell’s competition would include Brazeau.
3. Marchand and Coyle can hold his hand
The second-liners are demanding linemates. Because they regularly draw the hardest matchups, they require their right wing to be hard on pucks, in the right spots and dependable in battles.
That kind of attitude can be contagious. Marchand and Coyle could help to straighten out Lysell’s details.
“Just because you’re a skill guy doesn’t mean you’re going to earn that spot because you can dangle through three guys,” Marchand said. “You’ve got to be able to be very responsible defensively. Especially playing with Chuck and I, we play both sides of the puck and play against a lot of teams’ top lines. It’s as much as being really strong defensively as it is offensive.”
4. The Bruins need his touch
DeBrusk (40 points) was the Bruins’ No. 5 scorer last year. He was fifth among forwards with 16:50 of average ice time per game. The Bruins also lost Danton Heinen (36 points, 14:28 TOI). Marchand is behind his teammates following three offseason procedures.
The Bruins averaged 3.21 goals per game (No. 13). They’re hunting for offense.
5. He’s cheap
Lysell is entering his third pro season. But because of an entry-level slide, Lysell is in the second season of his ELC at $863,333.
The Bruins have over $8 million of cap space. But Jeremy Swayman’s contract will take up most of their free cash. The more entry-level deals the Bruins carry, the more flexibility they’ll have to execute deadline trades for higher-priced players.
(Photo: Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
