The Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia Flyers have connected on a deal before the NHL trade deadline. According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, Minnesota has sent defenseman David Jiricek to Philly for forward Bobby Brink.
“Hearing the [Wild] are working toward a potential trade for Flyers forward Bobby Brink. Wonder if they're dangling David Jiricek or a prospect of that ilk,” Russo first reported. Later on, he reported, “This is a done deal, sources say.”
Brink is from Minnesota and became a college hockey star with the University of Denver. After winning the 2022 National Championship for the Pioneers, he debuted for the Flyers. In 146 games in Philly, he had 68 points. Brink needs a new contract at the end of this season, as he will be a restricted free agent.
The Wild traded for Jiricek from the Columbus Blue Jackets after only 53 games in the league. They gave up Dameon Hunt, a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. Then, they traded for Quinn Hughes, limiting Jiricek's playing time even more. Minnesota needed scoring, so they went out and grabbed Brink.
According to PuckPedia, the Wild have over $9 million in trade deadline cap space to use. But they cannot get too aggressive in acquiring players with years left on their contracts. On July 1, Kirill Kaprizov will start the richest contract in NHL history at $17 million per season. Plus, Hughes will need a new contract to start the 2027-28 season.
The Flyers may be selling more before the NHL trade deadline, namely Rasmus Ristolainen. They are six points out of the playoffs and have some serious flaws to address in the offseason. Now that the Flyers have a young defenseman in tow, they should be prioritizing picks and young forwards in their other trades.
