The Avalanche have signed forward Fabian Lysell to a one-year deal after sending Ivan Ivan to the Boston Bruins in a player-for-player swap during last month’s draft, the club announced on Monday.
Lysell, 23, played 12 NHL games two years ago for the Bruins. He’s a 5-foot-11, 186-pound wing who Boston selected 21st overall in the first round of the 2021 draft. He spent the 2025-26 season playing for the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins and registered 42 points (17goals, 25 assists) in 57 regular-season contests. He ranked sixth in scoring on a team that won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy (AHL’s best record) and also finished fifth in both goals and assists.
From Gothenburg, Sweden, Lysell turned pro ahead of the 2022-23 season and has recorded 163 career points (57 goals, 106 assists) in 219 AHL games as well as three assists in 12 Calder Cup playoff showings — all with Providence. During the 12 games he dressed for the Bruins in the 2024-25 season, he scored one goal and had two assists.
The Avalanche has been acquiring new forwards this offseason after being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. Before trading for Lysell on June 27, Joe Sakic sent Jack Drury, Chase Bradley, and a 2029 third-round pick to the Nashville Predators on June 24 for forwards Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov.
Svechkov and L’Heureux, both 23, are also former first-round picks — Nos. 21 and 27 — from the 2021 draft who mostly played in fourth-line roles for Nashville last season.
Svechkov, listed at 6 feet and 187 pounds, had four goals and 17 points in 70 games for Nashville last season. L’Heureux, listed at 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds, had four goals and an assist in 25 games.
L’Heureux has a history of playing a physical brand of hockey — and also going beyond the boundaries of legality. He’s been suspended once in two years in the NHL, twice in the AHL, and nine times during his junior career in the QMJHL, for a total of 34 games. He was once suspended for 10 games in the QMJHL for assaulting a fan with his stick. His NHL suspension came in January 2025 for slew-footing Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon. L’Heureux missed some time early in this past season with injury and also played 30 games for the Milwaukee Admirals.
Both players have two years remaining on their current contracts. Svechkov’s cap hit for this coming season and next is $1.25 million. L’Heureux will cost $875,000 against the cap both years. Both players will still be restricted free agents at the end of these deals.
L’Heureux was 10th among Nashville forwards in average ice time per game (13:23) while Svechkov was 13th at 12:05. L’Heureux was a regular on the penalty kill when he was available this season, while Svechkov was not.
— Corey Masisak contributed reporting.
