It’s tempting to judge Bobby Brink by what came before him. The trade package that once sent him to Minnesota included first-, second-, third- and fourth-round picks, and with former top prospect David Jiříček part of that deal tree, the comparison game is hard to avoid. But Brink has started to carve out a case for himself on his own terms.
He gave the Wild the opening goal in Tuesday night’s 2-1 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens, though it was only his second goal in 20 games. That kind of production is a long way from the 23 goals Vladimir Tarasenko scored the previous year, and it’s also below the pace Minnesota probably hoped for after Brink posted a career-high 15 goals last season. Through this year’s start, and with 1.65 shots per game, that 15-goal mark looks a lot like his ceiling.
Still, low goal totals don’t make a player useless. Brink may be a flawed scorer, but he’s proving to be a useful one, and the best way to understand him is to stop measuring him only by what he lacks.
His best trait is his passing. Brink sees the ice well, especially when he can work the boards and create space for teammates in dangerous spots. Even when those feeds don’t turn into goals, they force goaltenders to stay alert and keep defenders busy.
The assists have piled up, too. Over his last 20 games, Brink has eight assists, and five of them have been primary.
That stands out even more when you factor in his ice time. Among the 299 forwards with 200-plus minutes in all situations, his 1.10 primary assists per hour ties for 58th in the NHL.
That puts him ahead of names like Artemi Panarin (1.05), Mark Stone (1.02), and Matt Boldy (0.98).
Brink’s arrival also raised eyebrows because Bill Guerin has a reputation for liking bigger, heavier forwards. He clearly has an appetite for players in the Michael McCarron mold, but the Wild aren’t built entirely that way. Kirill Kaprizov is listed at 5-foot-10, Jared Spurgeon at 5-foot-9, and Mats Zuccarello at 5-foot-8, which is the same height Brink is listed at.
And Guerin has made his preference clear. “I don’t love soft skill,” Guerin said in April 2025.
“Kirill, to me, is... not soft skill at all. He is a high-compete, high-skill guy.
Like [Mats] Zuccarello -- high-compete, high-skill.”
Brink isn’t going to flatten people the way McCarron, Marcus Foligno, or Yakov Trenin can, but he does bring some bite. He has 13 blocked shots this season, the second-highest rate on the team among Wild forwards.
That edge shows up in his defensive numbers, too. Minnesota’s loaded-as-hell top line and McCarron are the only Wild forwards with a better 5-on-5 expected goals share than Brink’s 56.8%.
Strip away the baggage from the Jiříček deal and Brink looks like exactly the kind of third-liner teams need. He’s on pace for 40 points while playing fewer than 14 minutes a night.
He defends well, he competes, and he can help on the second-unit power play. For a middle-six team looking for dependable depth, that’s a pretty valuable package.
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