Avalanche Give Former Bruins First-Round Pick a Fresh Start With One-Year Deal

The Colorado Avalanche signed forward Fabian Lysell to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season on Monday, giving the 23-year-old another shot at cracking an NHL lineup after he spent the entire previous year in the AHL.

Colorado picked up Lysell back on June 27 in a straight swap with the Boston Bruins, sending forward Ivan Ivan the other way. Both were restricted free agents at the time, and the Avalanche clearly saw something in the 2021 first-round pick that Boston wasn’t getting out of him.

Lysell didn’t see a single NHL game in 2025-26, even though he got chances during training camp and preseason. Instead, he spent the whole season with Providence in the AHL, where he put up 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points in 57 games. That was good enough for sixth on the team in scoring, and he finished fifth in both goals and assists. Providence won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the league’s best regular-season record, but Lysell only played one playoff game.

His NHL resume is thin. He got into 12 games with the Bruins during the 2024-25 season, scoring one goal and adding two assists with a minus-4 rating. His first NHL goal came on April 13, 2025. That was it. He hasn’t been back since.

The Swedish winger has logged 219 AHL games, all with Providence, and has 57 goals and 106 assists for 163 points. He’s also got three assists in 12 Calder Cup playoff appearances. The numbers are decent for a guy who was once considered Boston’s top prospect, but they haven’t translated to a permanent NHL job yet.

Before going pro, Lysell had a monster season with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants in 2021-22. He scored 22 goals and 40 assists for 62 points in 53 games, then put up 21 points in 12 playoff games. He led the WHL in postseason assists with 17. People saw that production and figured he’d be an impact player at the next level. It just hasn’t happened yet.

Originally from Gothenburg, Sweden, Lysell also played for Lulea HF in the SHL during the 2020-21 season, where he got three points in 26 games after coming up through Frolunda’s junior program.

Drafted 21st overall by Boston in 2021, Lysell was supposed to be part of the Bruins’ next wave of young forwards. That never really materialized. The Avalanche are betting that a change of scenery and a new organization might unlock something that’s been dormant. It’s a low-risk move for Colorado. One-year deal, minimal commitment. If it clicks, they’ve got a cheap piece who still has some upside. If it doesn’t, they move on.