Bobby Brink joins Flyers, ready to debut on Tuesday against Washington

After signing his entry-level contract on Sunday, Bobby Brink was on the ice for Flyers practice on Monday morning. The 20-year-old was sporting No. 46,  the same number that he wore at development camp.

Skating on a line with Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton, Brink will make his debut as the Flyers travel to Washington to take on the Capitals. It has been a whirlwind few days for the former University of Denver product. The Pioneers convincingly took home a national title with a 5-1 victory on Saturday.

Brink then signed his three-year, entry-level contract on Sunday with the first year being burned off this season. The deal holds a cap hit of $925K. And less than 24 hours after that, Brink was on the ice in Voorhees. So he has been through a lot in the last few days. But you can bet that he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, it’s been really busy. But it’s been great. Obviously winning the National Championship was really special. And then to come here is really cool as well. It’s a really good time.” Brink said after Monday’s practice.

In regards to his signing, it’s something that Brink felt came at the right time. He actually thought it was a possibility after his about 30 games into the season with Denver. He spoke with his family and they all came to a consensus that this felt like a good opportunity for him. His parents and brother will be in attendance when he makes his debut against Washington. They’ve actually been around the last few days.

It’s been a while since Brink has been around the team itself. He was at development camp back in 2019 after he was drafted. The organization did not hold the camp in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic. And while the Flyers held their rookie camp during the summer of 2021, the collegiate prospects did not attend as it was held in mid-September. So this is the first time the organization has seen Brink up close since the summer he was drafted.

“Hockey sense, competitiveness and obviously skill to go along with that. Those have been the things that seem to get mentioned right off the bat when anyone is talking about him. No question he has the ability to make plays, to create offense.” Yeo mentioned about Brink.

Brink joins Ronnie Attard and Noah Cates as recent collegiate signees to make their debut within days of signing their contracts.

Potential new lines as Farabee returns to Flyers practice

Joel Farabee missed the Flyers’ last game against the Anaheim Ducks but was back at practice on Monday morning. With that, along with Brink’s arrival, the team has once again shuffled some of their lines around to accommodate such.

With Farabee’s return, Hayden Hodgson was sent back to Lehigh Valley. There were also a few changes made on the defensive end as well. As the team ran lines, this is what they looked like:

Farabee – Hayes – Atkinson
Konecny – Laughton – Brink
JVR – Frost – Tippett
Cates – Thompson – Brown/Lindblom
MacEwen

Provorov – Sanheim
York – Ristolainen
Connauton – Attard
Yandle

Oskar Lindblom swapped places with Patrick Brown throughout rushes, so he could be a healthy scratch against Washington. He has been banged up for the last few weeks. Yandle will also remain out as well. With Zac MacEwen, he took part in all activities but appears to still be out. He has been cleared to play, though.

Mike Yeo hasn’t fully committed to the lines he tossed out, however. There’s a possibility that Brink and Tippett could switch spots. Lindblom could end up being in the lineup despite swapping in and out. And there’s a chance that the team does not go with Provorov and Sanheim as their top pairing either. They’ve had some success together, but haven’t always clicked. It’s something they may explore during the last few games.

With a healthy roster, decisions will have to be made soon about who will and won’t be in the lineup. Cam Atkinson has also been banged up and while he will play on Tuesday, he could get some rest if the team feels there’s a risk of injury. On any given night, it could be a younger player or veteran coming in and out of the lineup.

With 10 games remaining in the season, expect to see a lot of different looks the rest of the way.