Bryce Brodzinski expected to head for free agency

With the Frozen Four in exactly a week, all eyes will be on the players currently competing for a chance to play for a national title. The Flyers have two players remaining in the tournament, Massimo Rizzo and Devin Kaplan.

Rizzo has not played since February and it is not certain he will return for this game. He has been skating with the team but there's no concrete update on his status. Denver is going for their second national title in three years. Bobby Brink was at Denver when they won in 2022.

Kaplan had two assists in Boston’s win over RIT but went pointless in the win against Minnesota. His two-point night broke a five-game drought. It’s been a tough season for Kaplan scoring-wise, but he’s one point away from matching his total from last season.

As for those who were eliminated from the tournament, Bryce Brodzinski is the one of note. He scored in the loss to BU but was eliminated in the 6-3 loss. This was Brodzinski’s fifth year of college as he elected to take advantage of the extra year due to the pandemic. Because he was allowed to do so, the Flyers did not lose his rights as they would’ve at a normal time. They still hold his rights until mid-August, but it appears Brodzinski will choose free agency.

The fifth-year forward had a career year points-wise, rising from 31 last season to 36 points this season. His goal total dropped slightly, from 19 last season to 14 this year. In taking the fifth year, Brodzinski may have had an idea about his plan. With only one contract space left, the Flyers likely don’t see a need to use it right now. There also isn’t a place in their lineup as they currently have 15 forwards, not counting the injured Ryan Johansen. The Flyers are also competing for a playoff spot and can’t risk a player getting his feet wet. The situation was different when Brink did it after his junior year at Denver two seasons ago.

As for the Phantoms, they recently signed Matthew Miller to a PTO and are clinging to one of the final playoff spots in the Atlantic. They probably don’t want to bring in too many new faces at this time of year. There doesn’t seem to be a place for Brodzinski and it doesn’t appear he did enough in college to show the Flyers he was worthy of a contract. 

Things can change in the next few weeks and months as the initial conversation happened directly after a tough loss. But for now, Brodzinski appears ready to begin his professional career elsewhere.