March 07, 2026
Eric Bolte/Imagn Images
The Flyers have a logjam at wing, and Bobby Brink was the one to go to start opening it up.
Danny Brière knew the Flyers had wingers piling up, and knew that sooner or later, they were going to have to start trading some of them.
Already there were Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, and before his injury, Tyson Foerster, as Brière ran down the list of names. The Flyers general manager mentioned Trevor Zegras as a winger, too, and Denver Barkey, who worked his way up to the NHL ahead of schedule.
Then he got to the names on the way, like Porter Martone at Michigan State, Alex Bump down in the AHL with the Phantoms, and "other young guys that are also pushing," Brière said.
Eventually, they had to start making decisions, and the first came late Friday morning, when the Flyers traded Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild for defensive reclamation project David Jiříček.
Was it an easy call? Hardly, especially because Brière oversaw much of Brink's development from a second-round prospect into an established two-way winger – "There's, selfishly, a lot of pride in that," Brière said.
But was it necessary for the Flyers' path forward? To clear it more than anything.
"It was tough," Brière told the press at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees after Friday's 3 p.m. trade deadline passed. "I mean, at some point, we were gonna have to make a change or trade some of the wingers for other positions....When [Jiříček became available], and that kind of came in yesterday, you started thinking of the chance to add a big, young, strong defenseman like David, we felt that was a good opportunity for us to look towards the future."
In more ways than one.
The Flyers have their plans and ambitions for Jiříček, Brière explained Friday, but right now, the 22-year-old and former sixth overall pick from the 2022 draft needs time.
Upon the trade's confirmation, Jiříček was assigned immediately to the Phantoms, where he'll be able to play plenty of minutes, start developing his game again, and get the ball rolling toward the Flyers' next training camp.
Brière was pretty frank about Jiříček needing a ton of work still, but said he hopes the organization can get the young defenseman on a progress curve similar to Jamie Drysdale, who has made remarkable strides, especially this season, on the Flyers' blue line. That's for further down the road.
What Friday's trade did right away, though, was create an opening for a new winger to come in and take it now that Brink isn't there anymore.
It could be Bump, who Brière acknowledged was probably the next prospect in line, given that he's been doing well of late over in Lehigh Valley.
Or it could, soon enough, be for Martone, who's been on a tear through the college ranks as a Michigan State freshman and could just sign as soon as the Spartans' season is done, even if it's just for an NHL game or two.
Second of the night for Porter Martone who scores just 18 seconds into the power play! pic.twitter.com/AzMmTiVguG
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 6, 2026
But ultimately, the willingness to trade Brink, as difficult as it was to do, is a sign that the Flyers have confidence that it's getting close to time for the next wave of bigger and better prospects.
"We feel guys are almost there," Brière said. "And we're trying to make a little bit of room."
Hopefully, to clear a greater path forward.
MORE: Why the Flyers held on to Rasmus Ristolainen
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