The Minnesota Wild have acquired Minnetonka, Minn., native Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman David Jiricek, according to league sources.
The Wild see Brink, 24, as a third-line right wing who can move up the lineup if needed. He’s a pending restricted free agent with a $1.5 million cap hit. Brink has 13 goals and 26 points in 55 games this season. He was drafted in the second round in 2019.
Jiricek was drafted No. 6 in 2022 but hasn’t been able to win a consistent spot in the NHL lineup.
Brink is preparing to fly to Las Vegas, where he is expected to make his Wild debut against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. He joins a Wild lineup currently dealing with injuries to a couple of wingers, with Marcus Foligno week to week and Marcus Johansson out this weekend at least after a hit to the head on Tuesday.
A lot was made a few years ago of Brink being scratched by then-Flyers coach John Tortorella during a game at his hometown Wild, but Wild sources told The Athletic that Tortorella loved Brink and felt he turned into a true pro. In fact, conversations in Milan between Tortorella, a U.S. assistant coach and Bill Guerin, the U.S. and Wild general manager, were a big reason Guerin pulled the trigger.
Love this trade for Minnesota. Bobby Brink is a sneaky good add that fits their ever-present defensive identity. Not a Jiricek believer pic.twitter.com/F7rN0GDf9S
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) March 6, 2026
The Flyers’ decision to deal Brink isn’t overly surprising, as they have a logjam at wing. On the right side, Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett are both locked up long-term, and second-year forward Matvei Michkov will probably end up back at right wing at some point, too. Michkov has lately been playing on the left wing with Brink and Noah Cates.
The Flyers have also been encouraged by the play of rookie left wing Denver Barkey, who, like Brink (5 feet 8, 169 pounds), is not very big. Porter Martone, a left wing and the No. 6 pick in the 2025 draft, could join the Flyers in a couple of weeks, too.
From mid-November 2024 through the beginning of this season, Brink was a part of the Flyers’ most consistent line with Cates and Tyson Foerster. They were often matched up against the opposition’s top line, earning the trust of then-coach Tortorella and current coach Rick Tocchet, before Foerster’s season-ending shoulder injury on Dec. 1. Brink’s maturation as an undersized but responsible checking forward made him a versatile player, including on the power play, where he’s posted six of his 26 points this season.
Jiricek gives the Flyers a potential long-term replacement for Rasmus Ristolainen, who may or may not get dealt today, as a big, right-shot defender. They also have 2023 first-round pick Oliver Bonk knocking on the door on that side of the blue line.
Jiricek’s departure comes less than 16 months after the Wild traded first-, second-, third- and fourth-round picks plus Daemon Hunt for him. They at least got Hunt back via waivers.
Jiricek just never looked the part in Minnesota. He has size, a big shot and a desire to be great, but it often looked as if he was trying to justify his draft position instead of simplifying. His supposed weak skating when he arrived in Minnesota was overblown, but his inconsistency wasn’t. He often took a big, bad penalty or made a big, bad mistake in a game that overshadowed the good.
