The Boston Bruins’ core continues to age and they need some top prospects to start stepping up in their 2024-25 training camp. Mason Lohrei is the young player most likely to break out, but after his starring role in the playoffs, we can’t consider him a prospect any longer. The Bruins are comfortable heading into this season but have one more job. The Bruins must re-sign Jeremy Swayman and get him into camp after trading Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators this offseason. Let’s look at three prospects Bruins fans must circle in this year’s training camp.
Is Fabian Lysell ready to make the jump?
Two of the prospects to watch at this training camp will compete against each other for the No. 2 right-wing position to start the season. Fabian Lysell has been fighting some injury concerns, but he seems like the front-runner to get that spot on the second line. Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand will offer a comfortable welcome to the NHL as two reliable forwards who will help with Lysell’s defensive issues.
Lysell needed to bulk up this offseason to help him battle with NHL bodies. He has been getting hit with some dangerous hits in the American Hockey League, and it’d only get worse at the next level. He had been playing straight-line for most of his AHL career, but he became more dynamic in 2023-24. The stats showed his progress, as he recorded 15 goals and 35 assists in 56 games. He strayed away from the center of the ice after a couple of those hits, but he was willing to get to the middle last season.
The Bruins play a distinct playstyle, featuring a strong forecheck from their forwards and more physicality. Superstar David Pastrnak had to learn that lesson the hard way early in his Bruins career, and he has been able to add a level of physicality to his game. Pastrnak’s willingness to get physical hasn’t hurt his offensive output, which the Bruins wanted to see out of Lysell. Lysell finally took that step in 2023-24 and has his best chance to make the big club out of the 2024-25 training camp.
Georgii Merkulov could be Bruins’ insurance policy
While Lysell hasn’t made his NHL debut yet, Georgii Merkulov played four games with the Bruins in 2023-24. He didn’t record any points, but Jim Montgomery didn’t put him in the best position to succeed on the fourth line. Fans clamored for him to get a shot in the top six, but he never got that opportunity. Merkulov is the option after Lysell to get that spot alongside Coyle and Marchand and might be the one who starts the year if Lysell needs more time.
Merkulov led the Providence Bruins in scoring in two consecutive seasons, recording 65 points in 67 games last year. He has been a rising star in the Bruins’ system since they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of college, but there are still some questions about whether he’s just a career AHLer.
Merkulov and Lysell could make the team if they succeed at training camp, but it seems like an “either-or” situation. Merkulov’s skills won’t be utilized well in the bottom six, so he could spend another year in Providence if Lysell earns the second-line job out of camp. However, Merkulov must stay ready, in case Lysell struggles or suffers another one of his injuries during the season.
Brandon Bussi could be an X-Factor this season
Brandon Bussi has been leapfrogging players in front of him since debuting in the Bruins’ organization. Kyle Keyser and Michael DiPietro were always the potential replacements when the Ullmark/Swayman pairing broke up, but Bussi has made himself the front-runner for that job. Bussi will get a fair shot to earn an NHL role out of camp, as the Bruins have no emotional ties to Joonas Korpisalo. Korpisalo is the goaltender everyone expects to be Swayman’s backup after he came the other way in the Ullmark deal, but Bussi will have something to say about that.
Bussi has a save percentage above .910 and a goals-against average below 2.67 in his three AHL seasons. He has the numbers of an NHL prospect, but couldn’t get out of Ullmark or Swayman’s shadow. Korpisalo had a 3.27 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage last season in Ottawa. The netminder will have more help in front of him in Boston, but if he doesn’t improve in the preseason, expect Bussi to steal the backup job.
Bruins fans can stop reading here, as we’re about to make a point that they won’t like. Swayman’s contract negotiation is getting dangerously close to the start of training camp, and if it doesn’t get sorted soon, the Bruins could be asking Bussi to play a bigger role. It’ll be a far cry from their Swayman/Ullmark tandem, but the Bruins could enter the 2024-25 season with a Korpisalo/Bussi tandem.
