The Colorado Avalanche have quietly made one of the more interesting bets of the offseason.
In the span of a few weeks, Colorado added Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov—two forwards the Boston Bruins once viewed as important pieces of their future before ultimately deciding it was time to move in a different direction.
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The Avalanche decided there was still something worth chasing. It’s been a familiar approach for Colorado over the years: identify players who still have untapped potential, put them in a different environment and see if they can find another level.
Lysell and Merkulov now get that opportunity in Colorado.
Every organization has prospects who don’t follow a straight path. Some players arrive immediately. Others need years before the game slows down enough for them to consistently impact at the NHL level.
The difficult part is knowing whether you made the right decision or not. The Avalanche are playing the long game and they believe Lysell and Merkulov have low risk, high reward potential.
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Lysell carried much bigger expectations when Boston selected him 21st overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. The Swedish winger had many of the traits teams look for in a top offensive prospect: elite skating, creativity with the puck and the ability to create scoring chances in ways that can’t always be taught.
He always had the talent. The problem was execution.
Lysell spent most of his professional career with Providence, where he became a productive AHL player but never fully established himself in Boston. He finished last season with 42 points in 57 games as Providence captured the league’s best regular-season record, but it still wasn’t the breakthrough the Bruins were waiting for.
When Boston traded him to Colorado in exchange for Ivan Ivan, general manager Don Sweeney offered an honest explanation of why the relationship had reached that point.
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“He hasn’t fully grasped at the NHL level what it probably requires to play each and every night,” Sweeney said. “He took ownership of that today.”
But the most telling part came next.
“We took ownership that, could we have done more and better in supporting him? Probably.”
It was an important admission because development isn’t solely on the player. Organizations have a responsibility to put young talent in positions where they can succeed, and Boston acknowledged it may not have done enough in Lysell’s case.
Merkulov’s journey was much different.
He was a player who needed time to adjust after coming over from Russia, working his way through the USHL and NCAA before eventually becoming one of Providence’s most dangerous offensive players.
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Once he arrived in the AHL, the production followed.
Merkulov scored 55 points in his first full season before breaking out for 65 the following year. Offense was clearly not the issue, but Boston demanded he become a complete player. That simply didn’t happen in the timeline they made for him.
At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Merkulov had to prove he could contribute when he wasn’t scoring. He needed to become more responsible defensively, improve without the puck and show he could handle the physical side of professional hockey.
Providence head coach Ryan Mougenel pushed him through that process, and eventually the results showed. By the 2025-26 season, Merkulov had become one of Providence’s most dependable all-around forwards while helping the Bruins finish with the best record in the AHL.
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But by then, the circumstances had changed.
At 25 years old, Merkulov was no longer viewed as a prospect.. Boston had younger players coming through the pool and made the decision to move on.
Colorado was willing to take the chance on him.
And that’s where Sakic’s approach becomes interesting.
The Avalanche have never been afraid of players who need a reset.
Andre Burakovsky arrived from Washington after struggling to find consistency and became a key part of Colorado’s Stanley Cup championship team. Valeri Nichushkin came to the Avalanche after his career in Dallas stalled, and Colorado helped him become one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards.
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Those moves worked because Colorado wasn’t focused on what those players had already become.
The Avalanche were focused on what they could still become.
That’s the same gamble they’re making with Lysell and Merkulov.
Lysell represents the bigger upside play. If Colorado can help him find consistency, the skill that made him a first-round selection is still there. His skating and offensive instincts haven’t disappeared; he simply needs to translate them into a reliable NHL role.
Merkulov is a different type of addition. He brings experience, production and versatility, whether that means earning NHL minutes or becoming one of the veteran leaders for the Colorado Eagles.
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That Eagles component matters, too.
Colorado lost several experienced players from its AHL roster this offseason, and Merkulov gives the organization someone who can help carry the offensive load while also helping younger prospects learn what it takes to become professionals.
If Lysell and Merkulov end up together in the AHL, Colorado could have two players who already understand each other’s games and can immediately give the Eagles a dangerous offensive combination.
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