Going into training camp this year, Boston Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell has many eyes on him. You could say that eyes are tracking the 21st overall pick of the 2021 Entry Draft on every move he makes. There is good reason for that as he is one of a handful of players making a bid to make the roster in Boston for the season-opener against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 8.
Lysell, fellow prospects Georgii Merkulov and others are looking to fill Jake DeBrusk’s roster spot after he left in free agency for the Vancouver Canucks. Sweeney has very limited cap space remaining as priority No. 1 remains to come to an agreement with goalie Jeremy Swayman on a new contract.
Lysell’s first opportunity to impress Montgomery did not go well Sunday night at the TD Garden against the New York Rangers. He was invisible a lot of the night and not engaged like he should for someone trying to make an impression and break into the NHL. Tuesday afternoon ahead of the preseason game No. 2 against the Washington Capitals, Montgomery sent a clear message to his young forward.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery sends Fabian Lysell clear message
After a workout at Warrior Ice Arena Tuesday, Montgomery met with the media and discussed Lysell. It’s clear that the Bruins' third-year coach is looking for his young prospect to have a better game than two nights ago.
Montgomery on Lysell: “He needs to do a little more than he’s done if he wants to make the Bruins.”
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) September 24, 2024
Adds that’s true of most guys who played the first preseason game.
Please make no mistake about it, Montgomery has had a lot of success when he goes about getting messages to his players. Last May, he called out David Pastrnak ahead of Game 7 of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and all he did was go out and score the game-winning goal of Game 7 in overtime. Now, the Bruins need Lysell to respond to Montgomery’s message if he wants to be in the NHL rather than the AHL.