After a relatively quiet deadline in which only Bobby Brink and Nic Deslauriers were moved, there has been some discussion on what is to come for the one real return that the Flyers received at this year’s trade deadline: David Jiricek.
The sixth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, taken one selection behind where the Flyers took Cutter Gauthier, Jiricek came into the league with sky-high expectations. He’s played in both the AHL and NHL this year, and it remains up in the air as to whether or not he can make his way into the Flyers roster before the regular season ends.
Flyers GM Danny Briere talks about David Jiricek’s development plans
For what it’s worth, Danny Briere seemed to be interested in the possibility during his post-deadline media availability.
“I didn’t make him any promises”, Briere said. “At some point we’d like to give him a look and give him a few games, the most important thing we felt was him to start in Lehigh, get high minutes and lots of reps, and if things go well I’d like to see him play a few games here and get him ready for next season.”
Briere also revealed that the Flyers were in the mix for Jiricek when he was initially traded from Columbus to Minnesota. He also likened Jiricek’s early NHL career to what Jamie Drysdale went through in Anaheim, as both were immediately thrust into NHL duty before they were really ready for that step up in play.
“Totally different style of players, but I think about the development of Jamie Drysdale, they both came in at 18 years old, was probably a little too early to turn pro, go through some ups and downs, probably lose their confidence along the way, so he’s gonna need some love, he’s gonna need some reps, especially,” Briere said when discussing the similarities between Drysdale and Jiricek’s road to the NHL.
Jiricek was drafted sixth overall, just like Drysdale, and also played NHL games as an 18 years old, while never really finding his footing in Columbus. That then led to him being traded to Minnesota shortly after turning 21 in late 2024.
While Minnesota paid a heavy price to acquire him, they soon found themselves with a surplus of defenders, a number that was only inflated when they acquired Quinn Hughes early this season. That move singlehandedly flipped the switch for the Wild, turning them into contenders, and putting Jiricek’s development in the backseat.
While the Flyer debut of Jiricek may not be immediate, it seems prudent that Briere and the Flyers brass seem to be taking a much more controlled and cautious approach with his development, especially after he bounced around for much of his early NHL career.
“We know we have to work with him, we need to be patient, and we need to give him a little bit of rope to develop him.”
