Fabian Lysell scoring the overtime winner at three-on-three against the Hartford Wolf Pack doesn’t change the past week for one of the Boston Bruins’ most polarizing prospects. While Lysell is now up to 11 points in 11 games, he started Wednesday night’s Providence Bruins game on the fourth line alongside Jake Schmaltz and Joey Abate. It was a step up from the team’s last game, when Lysell sat in the press box as a healthy scratch.
Fabian Lysell, No. 22 in black, uses his speed on the outside to take advantage of a flat-footed Hartford team and wins it in OT. Nice goal from Lysell who’s now up to 6G-5A-11PTS in 11GP. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/cjVNWozgWv
— Bruins Network (@BruinsNetwork) November 13, 2025
The situation presents an interesting dilemma, offering a unique contrast between what the fans see and how the front office feels. If you listen to the growing social media mob about Lysell’s usage, you would think the Bruins are burying the next great Swedish superstar in the minors. However, it’s easy to look at a player’s stat line and then wonder why he isn’t in the NHL.
The Bruins’ front office isn’t just scratching prospects for no reason. There is some aspect of Lysell’s game, whether it’s his inconsistent play, failure to commit to the defensive zone for an entire game, or his sometimes lower work rate, that is turning the organization away from giving him a chance. Ryan Mougenel has been struggling to get a read on Lysell since he started in Providence, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
It isn’t just Mougenel who is burying him, either, if that’s what fans are thinking. The front office wouldn’t allow their AHL head coach to make those kinds of decisions if they saw a future in him. It’s obviously an organizational decision that is causing Lysell to lose his place in the Providence lineup.
Fabian Lysell attempts to redeem himself as he drifts further from NHL future
The time is approaching when the Bruins will have to figure out what they have in Lysell. There aren’t many NHL roster players who will be giving up their spot anytime soon, and Lysell is now behind a long list of forwards in Providence. Is there any path for Lysell to join the NHL club?
Lysell has plenty of ground to make up. It’s unlikely that the team’s perspective of him changes just because he scored an overtime winner in a three-on-three overtime. Lysell’s offensive confidence isn’t the issue, as he is still producing despite his fall down the lineup. It’s the intangibles that must change, and it’s worth wondering if it will ever happen after four years of the same issues.
It’s amusing to see the growing concerns about keeping an offensive talent buried in the minors. We shouldn’t forget that the reason Boston has the second-most points in the conference is due to the intangibles that the lineup is bringing on a nightly basis as the front office tries to reform the Bruins’ identity. If Lysell is so poor in that area that he can’t get into the AHL lineup on a nightly basis, why should fans even want him to get the reward of an NHL recall?
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