The Boston Bruins are going through a retooling phase this season. The aim is to go through roster churn without delving into a prolonged, full-on rebuild.
The retool is the best option considering the Bruins’ strong core led by superstar David Pastrnak and top-pairing blueliner Charlie McAvoy. Fans know that Pastrnak and McAvoy are as good as gold.
The ultimate success of their retool will come down to prospects that can elevate the team’s overall performance. One such prospect is Fabian Lysell.
The 22-year-old was the Bruins’ first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He went 21st overall and has shown plenty of promise. Last season, he scored 11 goals and totaled 34 points with the Providence Bruins. In 12 games with the NHL Bruins, he scored one goal and totaled three points.
Sure, the initial showing was somewhat disappointing. But those 12 games marked Lysell’s first NHL foray. The overall promise seen in Lysell has prompted clubs around the league to inquire about his availability. But the Bruins are not budging on Lysell. They’re keeping him for the time being.
This season, Lysell’s emergence, along with other prospects like Fraser Minten, Matthew Poitras, and Matej Blumel, could transform the Bruins’ retool into a quick turnaround. The hope is that the injection of young talent will result in the club remaining competitive for years to come.
But if Lysell, like the other prospects in the team’s pipeline, fails to take the next step, the Bruins may have to reassess where the retool is headed.
Lysell Needs to Succeed If Bruins Are to Remain Competitive
While Fabian Lysell isn’t precisely a power forward, he’s got plenty of skill and talent to become a significant secondary scorer. He’s got middle-six potential and could deliver the sort of support a star like Pastrnak needs.
That’s why the Bruins need Lysell to succeed. If he doesn’t, the club may not remain competitive much longer. Fans in Boston could face another sour season, especially if the team’s veterans cannot carry the club forward.
That scenario may seem dire. But the fact is that Boston doesn’t have many internal options to carry the team into the future. Their lack of high-end prospects makes it difficult for the Bruins to rely on internal options to win games moving forward.
Could Boston Face a Full-On Rebuild?
The question of whether the Bruins could face a full-on rebuild or not depends on prospects like Lysell coming through. In an ideal world, Lysell, Minten, Poitras, and others, become full-time NHLers. They carry the team this season and beyond.
As a result, the Bruins skip the need for a full-on rebuild and gradually phase out less-productive veterans.
But there’s always the possibility that the Bruins’ prospects don’t live up to expectations. If that’s the case, Boston may have no choice but to go through a painful rebuild. That road could be determined as soon as this season.
So, it seems like the only way in which the Bruins could avoid a tough rebuild is to have their best prospects take over the team and usher in a new era of sustainable success.
Bruins Retool Could Hinge on Former 1st-Rounder