Oilers Trade Rumors: Oilers & Bruins May Be ‘Cooking Up a Deal’ for ex-1st Rounder

Are the Edmonton Oilers interested in a former Boston Bruins' first-rounder who hasn't panned out? According to a report on the Bruins Diehards podcast (h/t David Staples of the Edmonton Journal), the two teams may be 'cooking up a deal' for forward Fabian Lysell.

Court Lalonde related the following rumor on his pod recently:

When the Boston Bruins used their first round pick in the 2021 NHL draft to select Fabian Lysell, fans saw a glimpse of the type of player the franchise rarely has a chance to draft. A pure offensive talent with blazing speed, elite hands, and Top 6 potential.
Fast forward to today and instead of talking about him becoming a fixture in the Bruins lineup, the conversation has shifted. Rumors are swirling the Bruins may be dangling Lysell in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers… (Bruins analyst) Dominic Tiano suggested in my Discord that the Bruins and the Oilers have been in conversations.

Lysell, now four years after being selected with the 21st overall pick in 2021, has only played 12 games total for the Bruins, all this past season, and it resulted in three points and a minus-4 rating in an average of 13:27 ice time.

With the AHL's Providence Bruins, Lysell topped out in the 2023-24 season with 15 goals and 50 points in 56 games, but he dropped off to just 11 goals and 34 points this past year as a 22-year-old. Overall, he has 121 points in 162 games at the minor league level. He's now in the final year of his entry-level contract.

However, if the two sides are talking turkey, the rumored return from Edmonton doesn't make any sense. According to Staples, the Bruins Diehard podcast mentioned promising rookie Matt Savoie and physical winger Vasily Podkolzin as possibilities to head back the other way, and that seems highly unlikely.

In addition, at 5'11", 180 pounds, Lysell's fit on the Oilers right now doesn't feel right to Staples. "He’s also a smaller forward and the Oilers are already well stocked with that kind of player in newcomers Ike Howard, Savoie and veteran Andrew Mangiapane."

It's an intriguing rumor, but not one that sounds like it makes a lot of sense right now for the Oilers.