Was David Jiricek for Bobby Brink the right move?

Last year, when the Flyers drafted Porter Martone, I, like most Flyers fans, was excited. Here is the hard-nosed sniper we've been missing for a while: a possible reincarnation of a bulldog like Mark Recchi on the right wing. Then the second thought that occurred to me was that the right wing was the team's biggest strength. Someone had to go. A logjam had been created at the right wing position.

There was a dearth of talent at that spot: Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, Garnet Hathaway, and Bobby Brink. In this case, it was Brink. It makes sense; he was smaller than most other Flyers' players. Standing at 5'8" with 170lbs on his frame, he did not fit the mold that the Flyers are trying to get back into. 

Yet, despite that, Brink was a fighter. He scored 36 goals with 58 assists. That comes to 94 points in 203 games; just shy of half a point a game. He's improved a little bit every season. Despite his size, he dealt out 98 hits last season and has added 67 this year. In both seasons as a full-time player. He has put his body on the line and blocked 30 shots. Sadly, his three power-play goals are tied for second (Michkov) on the team this year. 

However, he is cheap and controllable. He makes for a very tradeable asset. I get it. Makes sense. You have to respect his grit and grind. He came in every day and gave his all. Now, is he going to end up with a ceiling as high as Martone is supposed to? Most likely not. But as a middle-six forward, Brink did his job, overcame some injuries and setbacks, and left it out there on the ice. No Flyers fan should have anything negative to say about him.

As for trading him, moving Brink was the right thing to do. I'd rather move him, despite his heart and effort, than Konecny, Michkov, Foerster, or Tippett. It was a necessary move, and sometimes it sucks, but sometimes you gotta do it. 

But For Jiricek?

David Jiricek, on the other hand, smells like an NHL bust. Drafted sixth overall in 2022, he has had a hard time staying on an NHL roster. He has been injury-prone, something the Flyers seem to love trading for lately. He also has whined and complained when demoted to the AHL when he wasn't playing that well. 

So, here you have a young kid, still only 22, who gets upset about how he's being played, sulks about it, and keeps getting hurt. It's also troubling that such a young guy with lots of potential talent is on his third team in 15 months. Just saying.  Also, the Wild traded a first-round pick for him last year. Now, they flipped him for a second-rounder. That's telling. That suggests, to me at least, that they've given up on him and got the best they could get for him.

To be fair, maybe he needs a chance to accrue minutes and showcase his skillset. I'll allow that. Maybe a change of scenery will do him well. After all, it has done wonders for Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. 

Young, great right-handed defensive talent is hard to find. Jiricek, as a junior, has shown a great offensive shot. He displayed it for the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL (6G, 32A in 2022-23). Yet, at the NHL level, that hasn't even been sniffed at. In 84 games across four seasons, Jiricek has scored twice with 11 assists. He is a -11 with an average of 13:33 minutes played.

On the flipside of that, there is already chatter that Jiricek is a bust. He hasn't shown any scoring ability and hasn't shown himself to be a shutdown defender. He has skating issues, turns the puck over too much, might have too big an ego, and is fragile. Can a guy like that last in Philly? I dunno. We've been ready to run Rasmus Ristolainen out of town almost since he got here. Can Jiricek take the Philly crowd if he starts playing poorly? 

Jiricek's rookie deal is almost over. He is earning less than $1 million right now. How much is he going to demand for a limited body of work? Will the Flyers give it to him? Granted, Brink was an RFA this season as well and would probably ask for a raise from his $1.5 million paycheck. The thing is, he's already earned it.

We won't know the value of the trade for another few years down the road. A right winger had to go and this time, it was Brink. He played well. He may have maxed out his ability here, but he played well. He could become a 20 goal scorer and for a second rounder, played admirably. He won't be a Flyers legend, but neither will he be an embarrassment. More importantly, his departure opens up a spot for Martone next season, hopefully.

For Jiricek, time will tell. If he plays like he was projected to play, then high fives all around for the deal. The Flyers could use a defender like that. And if Ristolainen is traded eventually, Jiricek can slide in nicely to the role that he was supposed to give us. If he turns all prima donna on us, then this will turn into another defensive nightmare (Tony DeAngelo anyone?) that this franchise doesn't need.