The Philadelphia Flyers, in a rebuild, could have some roster turnaround as they enter the 2024 offseason. One of the beneficiaries of this, potentially, could be restricted free agent (RFA) Bobby Brink.
Brink, just 22, had a decent season with the Flyers in 2023-24 but his talent suggests he can give a little bit more moving forward. Not always given the best opportunities to succeed, perhaps an increase in output moving forward is in his future. What might his role be with the Orange and Black in 2024-25?
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Where Will Brink Slot?
When Brink was actually in the lineup, he frequented the third line more often than not. He played some great minutes with Joel Farabee early in the season, playing rather well in transition and contributing offensively in that way. However, he wasn’t ever able to get himself to move up the lineup even when he played well.
Brink was consistently stuck behind Travis Konecny and Cam Atkinson in the right-wing spot, and Garnet Hathaway eventually overtook him in that regard, too. By the end of the season, it was a good night if he could get fourth-line minutes. He was a healthy scratch somewhat frequently and sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) toward the end of January before being recalled a few weeks later. It wasn’t really his fault—he simply lost favor with head coach John Tortorella.
Brink, primarily because of his young age, will have a new opportunity in 2024-25. At the very least, it seems pretty likely that Atkinson won’t be with the Flyers next season due to both his age (35) and on-ice struggles. He was bumped down to the fourth line and made a healthy scratch somewhat often toward the end of the season, but for most of it, he was riding second-line ice time. If he is removed from that equation, it can allow Brink to shine.
As well, Travis Konecny could be on the way out. At 27 years old and with one season left on his contract, the rebuilding Flyers might look to trade him while they still can. In this case, even if prospect Matvei Michkov was in the NHL next season, Brink would still have the chance to make a difference. If he can be productive, there wouldn’t be a good reason to restrict his minutes like what happened this season. Without knowing what the Flyers’ offseason will entail, we can assume he could frequent a second-line role with a little bit of ice time on the team’s second power-play unit.
Projecting Brink’s Production
With 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 57 games despite averaging just 13:48 of ice time, Brink finished the 2023-24 regular season in the 57th percentile in points per 60 (P/60) among forwards. When he was getting more consistent ice time like during the first quarter of the season, he was in a little bit of a more respectable territory, slotting in the 71st percentile for P/60 among forwards. Seeing as this was his rookie campaign and he was coming off of a torn labrum late in the 2022 offseason, he did rather well.
Brink played his best with Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost by his side to the tune of an even-strength expected goals percentage (xGF%) of 54.4 in 119 minutes, so perhaps that is the route to getting consistent scoring. He graded out rather poorly defensively, so that will be something to monitor, too. Overall, assuming he can play around 70 games and get more ice time, he should at least reach the 35-40-point mark. Even though next season will only be his age-23 campaign, those playing in the top six need to produce like it at the end of the day.
Brink’s 2024-25 Season Will Be Vital
Regardless of what is likely for Brink to do, he will want to have a big 2024-25 campaign—he might aim for 50 or even 60 points in a full 82-game slate. The RFA probably won’t be looking to sign a long-term deal—he likely thinks he is worth more than what the Flyers will offer for that sort of contract. Still having more to prove, a bridge deal seems to be the almost guaranteed result.
Without having a long-term contract, Brink will obviously want to earn one down the line. If he doesn’t impress the Flyers in 2024-25, he might become expendable. The Orange and Black have plenty of wingers on the roster and in their prospect pool, and they’ll likely only add to it in future drafts and free-agent classes. At this point, it’s hard to see a world where Brink is the Flyers’ second-line right winger throughout the entire rebuild unless he can take a few more steps in the right direction.
Brink showed some promise for the Flyers, but he didn’t have elite play by any means. For a Philadelphia team that has an end goal of winning the Stanley Cup, they will do everything in their power to upgrade at every position; mediocrity is not acceptable. If he wants to have a big role in the future instead of being restricted to the bottom six, he will have to prove that. This all starts with a promising campaign next season.
There shouldn’t be lofty expectations for Brink next season, but it would be nice to see him surprise some people and take a step toward being a legitimate top-six threat. He seems to be more of a scoring third-liner at this stage, but he still has plenty of time to prove his worth. If he gets the opportunity to do so, he could shine.
