After his most recent call-up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Feb. 27, Bobby Brink has been making the case for why he should stay at the NHL level.
After his most recent call-up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Feb. 27, Bobby Brink has been making the case for why he should stay at the NHL level.
After his most recent call-up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Feb. 27, Bobby Brink has been making the case for why he should stay at the NHL level.
Since his most recent return to the top flight, Brink has recorded two goals and one assist, which might seem unremarkable, but the way he's been playing has made a bold statement to head coach John Tortorella as to why he deserves to be a regular fixture in the Flyers lineup.
He's had two standout performances against two difficult opponents for the Flyers—the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes—which have left viewers thoroughly impressed with how he's been taking advantage of his opportunities as of late.
Brink's performance against the Hurricanes is the most telling indicator that he's been taking Tortorella's notes from into account and actively putting in the work to improve them.
One enduring criticism Tortorella has had for Brink was that he wasn't quite physical enough. Now, it's safe to say that he wasn't 5'8", 169-pound Brink to suddenly be a Garnet Hathaway or Nic Deslauriers figure that's constantly instigating and always in the middle of every scrum on the ice, but more that he wanted Brink to just get more involved and not be afraid of throwing himself into the game more.
And while his offensive numbers haven't been the most earth-shattering, it can be argued that he's been a victim of what I am electing to call the "Morgan Frost dilemma," where he is getting forward and generating offense, but the rest of the Flyers offense can't meet him where he's at and ultimately, the play doesn't amount to anything. (Although it did against the Hurricanes, where Scott Laughton praised what he thought was "one of [Brink's] best games" after Brink got an assist on Laughton's goal.)
And while Brink has faced more than his fair share of frustration trying to become an NHL mainstay, his efforts have not gone unnoticed by those around him.
Tortorella, despite past frustrations and public lashings of Brink, has been able to give credit where it's due for the rookie forward. He noted back in February that while Brink "hasn't totally found his game...[he's] playing better."
Teammate Joel Farabee, who has dealt with his own up-and-down journey before cementing his place in the lineup, had plenty of kind words to offer when asked about Brink's situation.
"It can be pretty stressful for a young guy, so I just told him to stay even-keeled, just keep worrying about what you can control," Farabee said. "Go down [to the AHL] and play as many minutes as you can and you'll be back up here pretty soon."
He added: "[Brink] is a super skilled player, he makes a lot of plays, so when you can do that, you make yourself pretty valuable."
Perhaps the most telling statement about the Minnesota native's character comes from assistant GM Brent Flahr, who told the Flyers Daily podcast, "If you ever meet him, he doesn't lack confidence—that's a compliment! He's a great kid, student of the game, loves to ask questions, loves to play the game. He'd be at the rink all day if you let him. He's probably one of the first ones there and last to leave."
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