Bobby Brink Signs Two-Year Deal With Philadelphia Flyers – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

After a busy NHL Draft that saw him take seven players and complete four trades followed by the signing of three players already with the organization on July 1, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Brière confirmed that he hopes for more to come this offseason.

“Right now, we're still in discussions with a few teams about a few different things,” Brière said on July 1. “If that doesn't happen next week, there's a good chance that yes, that's what you have.” see what training camp will be like. But we always try.”

However, parties must take care of small transactions, too. And that's what Brière did just before the long weekend began by signing restricted free agent Bobby Brink to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.5 million.

Brink's Journey So Far

The deal comes at a good time for Brink, as he could use it to get something good when he turns 23 on Monday. Like many players of that age, his ultimate role at the NHL level is still up in the air.

However, his talent is undeniable. Brink showed it with three successful seasons at the University of Denver after the Flyers selected him 34th overall in the 2019 Draft, and traded up to get him. In his junior year, Brink was one of ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award for college hockey's most outstanding player. His 57 points led the nation in scoring and helped the Pioneers to the national championship.

Brink became a champion after winning that title and showed promise in a 10-game NHL trial. He missed the first half of 2022-23 with a shoulder injury and spent the rest of the season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, scoring 28 points in 41 games. Expected to return to the American Hockey League last fall, an outstanding training camp earned him a spot on the NHL roster right away.

Although he returned to the AHL for 13 games at the start of 2024, Brink spent most of the season in the exhibition. While he wasn't always on the right side of head coach John Tortorella's testing, he had a great rookie year by all accounts, finishing with 23 points in 57 games for the Flyers.

Most of that offense started early in the season, as Brink had 18 points in 31 contests before the calendar year opened. His smooth hands and puck skills are evident. But at 5-foot-8, 169 pounds, he'll always be fighting an uphill battle in terms of size. Perhaps his departure in the second half was due to fatigue in his first full season in professional hockey. That's understandable, but now that he's off waivers and on a one-way contract, expectations will be high.

Placing a Deal on Content

The Flyers didn't last long with Brink because of his lack of NHL experience and the team's depth on the right side. Forecasts of a two-year contract worth $1.47 million by AFP Analytics are almost dead. Yes, if Brink starts before 2026, he will receive a significant raise in that offseason as a restricted free agent. But he's still establishing himself as a full-time NHLer and his ceiling is closer to a second-tier scorer than a true game-breaker.

Related: Philadelphia Flyers 2024-25 Prospect Pyramid

While CapFriendly lists the Flyers as having $2.02 million in cap space without entering long-term injured reserve (LTIR) (which Brière confirmed the team wants to avoid on Monday), that figure includes Brink's deal to be buried in the AHL, which is not '. t is possible. If he's on the NHL roster, the Flyers have only about $870,000 in cap space with 14 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders under contract and one RFA (defenseman Egor Zamula) in need of a new deal. With AFP Analytics predicting a similar deal for Zamula (two years worth $1.9 million), Brière may need to make that big of a move to avoid a short-term deficit or LTIR use.