The Flyers traded the right winger to the Minnesota Wild for right-handed defenseman David Jiricek, marking one of the more intriguing deadline-day swaps. It's a one-for-one deal between two young players with very different trajectories.
Brink, 24, is a Minnetonka, Minnesota, native who led Minnetonka High School to its first ice hockey state championship in 2018. Brink also gets the chance to play in his home state after this deal. Born in Minnetonka, Minnesota, he now gets to play roughly 30 minutes from home. For a player who's spent his entire NHL career with Philadelphia, getting traded to Minnesota feels like a full-circle moment.
A 2019 second-round pick, Brink has 13 goals, including three on the power play, and 26 points in 55 games this season. The team is currently in third place in the Central Division, but they are easily one of the favorites to capture the Western Conference. The one concern was if they would have the scoring to keep up with the likes of the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars. Brink's solid two-way play and consistent production give the Wild exactly what they need down the stretch. Meanwhile, By trading Brink, the Flyers are addressing a logjam at wing as they have two intriguing prospects lurking in the water — Porter Martone and Alex Bump.
For Philadelphia, He made his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season and scored 36 goals with 94 points in 201 career games in the orange and black. Trading away an established contributor means the Flyers are betting on The Flyers had the opportunity to select Jiricek in the 2022 NHL draft but opted for Gauthier with the fifth overall pick. The Columbus Blue Jackets selected the Czech defenseman with the sixth pick. It's a reclamation project for a player with high pedigree but lower recent production.