With the NHL trade deadline looming in the coming weeks, could the Flyers look to move on from 24-year-old forward Bobby Brink?
Brink has had a solid season so far, tallying 11 goals and nine assists over 41 games, but could the Flyers look to move on from the young forward? As we all know, the Flyers have a logjam at wing. It has long been a position of strength for the Flyers. It has continued to grow in strength with the additions of center/winger hybrid Trevor Zegras – who is currently leading the Flyers in points and goals – and the offseason draft acquisition of former Brampton Steelhead and now current Michigan State Spartan, Porter Martone.
Bobby Brink losing traction on depth chart
Where does Brink stand in all of this? He is certainly not a prospect anymore, as this season marks his fourth with the Flyers, but he’s also not a veteran like Travis Konecny or Christian Dvorak. He falls in the middle ground that Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost fell in last year, where you’re now a proven player. You know what you’re getting with Brink: he will forecheck hard even for his small frame at 5-foot-8, and he can score and control play. He has been one of the key members on the ever-dependable Noah Cates line over the last few years. This year, in the wake of the Tyson Foerster injury, he has been getting jumbled around a bit, mostly playing with center Noah Cates and the other wingers rotating in, whether that be Matvei Michkov or Nikita Grebenkin.
Brink’s assist numbers have been down this year, much in part to the loss of Foerster, who on the line was the primary goal scorer. This has been a good test for Brink to see what he and Noah Cates are like, not on a line with Foerster. We all know the Foerster – Cates – Brink line has had chemistry, but with Tyson Foerster likely to continue moving up the lineup in the next few years, he can’t continue to be handcuffed with Cates and Brink.
The emergence of forward Denver Barkey this season has also been a detriment to Brink’s future on the team. Both are small, checking forwards, coming in at 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 respectively, and they both play a similar style of game. The Flyers were not expecting the breakout of Denver Barkey so soon, if at all. The 20-year-old winger was the captain of the London Knights last year and led them to a Memorial Cup and multiple OHL championships. This has been his first season of professional action, and he has shone in all aspects of the game.
Denver Barkey is a Philadelphia Flyer. #PHIvsEDM | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/7MIGtZvsTu
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 3, 2026
Barkey just recently scored his first career goal vs the Edmonton Oilers on January 3, and the goal only happened because of his 200-foot play. He takes the puck out in front of his own net to start the rush and makes a nice outlet pass to Sean Couturier, who gets the puck to Owen Tippett. Barkey, after getting the puck to Couturier, starts racing up the ice and blows past Jack Roslovic to get in position all alone in front of the net. Tippett makes a nice saucer pass out in front, and Barkey taps home the pass on former Flyer Calvin Pickard. It’s plays like these, as a 20-year-old, that will make Denver Barkey a household name among Flyers fans for years to come.
Add Alex Bump’s name to Barkey’s on the list of wingers that are banging on the door for a full-time role on this team and everything becomes so much more complicated.
Many signs point to Bobby Brink inevitably being the odd man out on this Flyers team, but another sign that could lean toward his trade is his contract situation. Brink is a restricted free agent at the end of the year. At 24 years old, you are going to have to give him a pay raise. With the Flyers having multiple long-term, high-dollar AAV forward contracts on their books – Couturier, Konecny, Tippett, and now newly signed Christian Dvorak – plus the inevitable contract extension with Trevor Zegras, it doesn’t seem likely that the Flyers are looking to lock up anyone long-term too soon.
With the Flyers’ obvious lack of center depth and the rising cap, moving on from Brink could save the team money in the long term, when you’ll need extra cap space to add a center. Replacing Brink for Barkey – who is on a rookie contract through the 2027-28 season – or freeing up a roster spot next year for a guy like Porter Martone or Alex Bump, seems like an obvious move for the Flyers, who are looking to start turning the corner.
What could the Flyers get in return for Brink?
Now, what could the return look like for a guy like Brink? Anthony Di Marco reported on Daily Faceoff that the Minnesota Wild have had interest in the right winger for some time. A trade to the Wild would be a positive one for Brink, who is a Minnesota native, and the fact that the Wild are Stanley Cup contenders, especially after their recent trade acquisition of Quinn Hughes.
What would the Wild be willing to give up? Di Marco reported that Minnesota and Philly were in trade talks, and the Wild offered up 31-year-old center – and former Flyer – Ryan Hartman. The Flyers have been rumored to be interested in shoring up the 4th line center role, and Hartman could help fill that role. The veteran center has 11 goals and seven assists in 42 games this season, and he’s only signed through the 2026-27 season, so this would not be a long-term move for the Flyers.
Acquiring Hartman would almost instantly improve the fourth line, which is currently being centered by Rodrigo Abols, who has two goals and seven assists in 38 games this season. The fourth line has been an area of weakness for the Flyers, and Hartman could add some much-needed stability on a line that has been struggling all season.
Only time will tell what the Flyers do at the trade deadline, but it would not be shocking to hear Brink’s name come up in trade conversations as we tick closer and closer to the Olympic break and the trade deadline.
