Bruins cut ties with a struggling former first-round draft pick in swap of young players

Since Fabian Lysell was drafted in the first round, 21st overall, of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, he has been one of the Boston Bruins top prospects. He was a gifted goal-scorer when he was drafted and while he played, but once he joined the organization, he was stuck with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Lysell's future was cloudy, and he was scheduled to be a restricted free agent, but on Saturday, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for forward Ivan Ivan.

Bruins end Fabian Lysell drama with trade to the Avalanche

It became a question going into every Boston Bruins season: was Fabian Lysell going to get his shot with Boston, and if so, for how many games? The answer to the question in three of the last four seasons was no. He only made it to Boston in one season, the 2024-25 campaign, for just 12 games.

He was called up on Dec. 28, 2024, to make his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he didn't register a point, but created havoc on the game's first goal. He was returned to the P-Bruins after that game, but after the trade deadline fire sale in 2025, he played in 11 games from March 22 until the end of the regular season and scored his first career goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

That would end up being his only NHL goal as a member of the Bruins, as he finished with three points. He was never able to make it to Boston again, and there are various reasons for that. Whether it was Sweeney bringing in veteran forwards to round out his roster in Boston or Lysell's lack of development in the AHL, he just never lived up to his billing with Boston.

Ivan Ivan signed as a free agent in March of 2024 with the Avalanche. He played in 49 NHL games for the Avs with five goals and nine points. Ivan Ivan played 169 games for the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche AHL affiliate, with 25 goals during his time with the organization.

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