Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers Sending Bobby Brink to AHL is Bad for Rebuild
The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Monday evening that Bobby Brink was sent down to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms and called up Olle Lycksell in a corresponding move. This is a bad look for a few reasons.
Brink, 22, has played 38 games for the Flyers this season. His ice time was dramatically reduced in recent weeks, as Brink was a healthy scratch against the Minnesota Wild and then again following the game against the St. Louis Blues.
After three games of being a healthy scratch, the Flyers decided to send Brink to the American Hockey League.
The problem? They’re 1-2-0 in the games since Brink was scratched again.
On the day they were without Owen Tippett against a bad Ottawa Senators team, the Flyers instead turned to Nick Deslauriers and proceeded to play him for just five minutes while the rest of the team was on the second half of a back-to-back.
Brink and Deslauriers both could’ve provided the Flyers with fresh legs. Instead, the team got nothing.
Looking Ahead for Flyers, Bobby Brink
We know at this point that Lycksell is back with the team and replacing Brink, at least temporarily. What we don’t know is whether he’ll actually play or not.
The 24-year-old made his season debut on Dec. 7 against the Arizona Coyotes and played a grand total of eight shifts for 6:11.
If the Flyers’ idea is to get Brink into some games down in the AHL with the Phantoms, should it not be the same for Lycksell, too? There must be a plan for Lycksell; otherwise, there was truly no reason for this.
Indeed, Brink has been held without a point in 2024, but there’s only one way to score points. You can’t do that when you’re not on the ice.
Here’s to hoping Brink kills it in the AHL over the NHL All-Star break and returns to the Flyers in no time.
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I agree. Why is he not getting ice time up here, especially when running 11 forwards?
Yep. I get that the point is for him to play regularly in the AHL, but it should not have come to that.
He needs to play rather than sitting in the press box but I agree that going back to the AHL may not be best for his development. I don’t foresee Lycksell doing any better here. Meanwhile, Cole Caufield, whom the Flyers passed over and everyone expected them to select in that draft, is on pace for 30 goals and 70 points.
He has had good chemistry with Farabee and for whatever reason they split them up compromised the depth and the team has suffered
Torts has done a great job to date but his methods can be challenging to understand and this Brink move probes it. Brink has skill and speed and fits well into the Flyers strength which is scoring on the rush. Yet Torts loves guys like Hathaway Nick and Lauts who do have enerhy value however take way too many penalties and are the worst plus/minus guys on the team but don’t sit with exception of Nick once in a while.and collectively carry an $8.5mm cap hit so they ain’t cheap.
My take on keeping Laughts and Hathaway in the lineup. They are trying to play them enough to trade them before or at the deadline. Especially I say this, because Hathaway shouldn’t be on the 3rd line!
Brink has to play in a top 9 role. Noah Cates represents a major upgrade over Brink at the moment. Brink’s skating is NHL caliber but needs improvement to be able to succeed as a play driver at his size. Some time in the AHL can only benefit him at this point.
This is good for the rebuild. He wasn’t playing well. Let him go to the minors and find his game again.
Sometimes I wonder how Torts handles the youngsters.
Brink could have been sent down a week ago before the Tippett injury, and got 2/3 games under his belt as a Phantom.
Not sure how much of a prospect is Ollie L…..I think Samu Tuomaala, down there, may have more upside.
And….will Torts ever use his time-out during a game, especially when the team coughs up a lead into a tie, and loses momentum. He is an American coach……he needs to use the time-out…Peter Lavy has used them to his advantage over the years..
What is the sense in saving it.
I am fine with it. He hasn’t been playing well here and the NHL is not a development league. He will get the ice time he needs in Lehigh Valley to work on the aspects of the game they need him to improve on. Getting sent to the AHL isn’t always a bad thing.
Carter Hart on personal leave of abscence.
Wonder if the Canadian investigation is weighing heavily on his mind.
Hopefully it is not anything to do with Torts
I think that Torts is an idiot and healthy scratched Brink when the Flyers played the Wild in Brink’s home town. I have known the kid since he was a Pee Wee and he played against one of my son’s and Bobby is a winner – a winner in high school hockey as a State Champion, a winner in the USHL and a winner at DU – NCAA Scoring Champion and NCAA Team Title in 2022.
He is a high character kid who actually likes to pass. They should have sent Torts to the AHL or sent him packing but that will happen soon enough with these stupid decisions that he is making.
Actually Bobby Brink doesn’t really have any speed ….
Wondering where the idea of him having NHL speed came from. Not the slowest out there, but, yeah, not a speed demon either