Revisiting the Flyers-Wild trade that sent Bobby Brink home and David Jiříček to Philly
March's one-for-one swap was viewed as a way to give two young players a change of scenery. A year later, neither player has truly fired as expected.
With the Flyers season looking bleak in early March, general manager Danny Brière made a trade with Bill Guerin, his counterpart in Minnesota. Ahead of the two teams meeting Tuesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena (7 p.m., NBCSP), let’s revisit that one-for-one deadline day trade.
Who was involved in the Flyers-Wild trade?
Minnesota Wild received: Forward Bobby Brink
Flyers received: Defenseman David Jiříček
What happened to Bobby Brink?
Selected early in the second round of the 2019 NHL draft, Brink was an offensive winger who notched four points in 10 NHL games after helping Denver win the 2022 national championship. But that summer, he suffered a left hip labral tear that required surgery, causing him to miss time and a chance to crack the opening day roster.
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In 2023-24, he spent the majority of the season with the Flyers and, over time, found his game and earned the admiration of former coach John Tortorella, who once famously said Brink couldn’t spell “check.” In his 201 games in orange and black, Brink notched 36 goals and 94 points, primarily playing on a line with Tyson Foertser and Noah Cates.
“We obviously knew each other so well that it was kind of like second nature playing with those guys,” said Brink on Tuesday, adding it was a little weird being on the visitors side at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
“I think it’s kind of the same with Blake [Coleman] and [Michael McCarron]. They both play hard. They both win their battles. They’re both physical, so I think this line kind of has some similarities to that one.”
Although he did not play in the game against the Flyers a few days after the trade in St. Paul, Minn., Brink had four points in 13 games and an assist in four playoff games last season with the Wild. This season, he has a goal and eight points in 16 games for the Central Division-leading Wild, and coach John Hynes said that his two-assist night in a season-high 16 minutes, 11 seconds of ice time against the Washington Capitals on Sunday was his best game thus far.
“He does a lot of little things in the game,” Hynes said when asked about Brink’s details. “But what we like about him now is that when you get him, you see fast, tenacious offensive instincts. A lot of those things you can’t teach, but I do see a player that is really rounding his game out into understanding the value of ‘how do I play without the puck as well, and am I responsible’, as he continues to grow his career.”
Brink, now 25, is getting more and more comfortable in the NHL with experience. And it doesn’t hurt that he is playing 30 minutes from his hometown of Minnetonka, Minn.
“It’s actually exciting. It gives you a lot of energy, and it makes you feel good going out there,” said Brink, who has four or five people at every game. “It’s good to be around family and friends, and play where I grew up,” he added, “and in front of fans that I was one of them not that long ago.”
What happened with David Jiříček?
Unlike Brink, who is playing every day, Jiříček has been a healthy scratch for seven of the Flyers’ 16 games, playing less than 10 minutes in his last game on Oct. 19 against the Colorado Avalanche.
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“Well, it’s competition, right?” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Tuesday about his defensive corps, with Cam York returning recently from injury and rookie Oliver Bonk becoming a mainstay.
“I just think, for me, [he needs to] try to limit the bad mistakes, not the little ones, the big ones. And I think maybe go back with the puck a little bit quicker, [and with the] outlet pass, and then on the blue line be real sure of yourself. ‘I’ve got this. I’m going to take a shot.’ Use your talent.
“I think he was a little bit more [passive] when he had the puck on the blue line. … I’d rather him shoot it because he’s got a hard shot.”
The hope was Jiříček would use that shot to bolster the Flyers’ power play. But his rocket of a shot isn’t enough to keep him in the lineup while playing sheltered minutes. According to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five, Jiříček has been on the ice for six goals against, half from high-danger spots.
Selected No. 6 overall in the 2022 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jiříček is still a young player at 22. Now on his third team, he is considered a project, partly because of questions about his skating dating back to his draft year.
According to NHL Edge, the Czech defenseman is skating almost two miles per hour slower (19.22) than the NHL average. But as Tocchet noted, you can still be a quick player and look fast on the ice with a high hockey IQ.
“I know I’m not the best, right? So yeah, I’m not the best skater in the league. So, I can be at least average and bring my strengths to the game, right?” said Jiříček.
“Try to work on it, but it’s never going to be perfect, for sure. So yeah, but I think it’s pretty good right now,” Jiříček added after a hard morning skate, where he stayed on late with Michael Bunting to help Joseph Woll work on some things.
“It comes with experience, too. I think when you play more games in the NHL, it becomes easier for you. So you know, I think I’m better game by game,” he said.
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“It’s hard to be out of the lineup, but I’m trying to watch the games too from up top, and try to learn from our guys in the lineup and from the other team too.”
Jiříček tries to watch what other defensemen do and imagine himself in that same scenario. He’s used to playing big minutes, but it seems like right now that may have to come at the American Hockey League level, where he played last season after the trade. This season, he would have to pass through waivers to join the Phantoms.
What is the trade grade today?
On deadline day, which also included Brière not moving the oft-injured — and currently hurt — Rasmus Ristolainen, we have the Flyers GM a B-. It’s probably still at that grade with neither player truly popping with their new team.
Brink, who has been the more productive of the two, also had to move to open a spot on the wing for guys like Alex Bump, who was called up the next day, Porter Martone, who joined a few weeks later, and Cole Knuble this season. The Flyers acquired Jiříček knowing he is a long-term project. They liked him during his draft year, and he is still young enough and has skills to not write off just yet.
Breakaways
Dan Vladař (3-3-2, .885) will start in goal, marking his first back-to-back starts of the season. … Forward Travis Konecny is good to go after missing Monday’s practice with a maintenance day.
