The Minnesota Wild chose not to hand Bobby Brink a qualifying offer by Monday’s deadline, putting the 24-year-old right wing on track to hit unrestricted free agency Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT unless a new deal gets done first.
That doesn’t mean the door is closed. It just means the Wild and Brink are still trying to land on a number that works for both sides, and the team was not willing to risk taking the arbitration path with a player whose recent market has been hovering in uncomfortable territory.
Brink had arbitration rights, and that process has recently pushed players with .46 points per game into the $4 million range. For a Wild team that enters the offseason with only $12 million in cap space and nine forwards, five defensemen and two goalies already signed, that was a gamble they didn’t want to make.
So Minnesota has been in contact with Brink’s agent, Ben Hankinson, over the past few days while trying to work out a contract below that level. AFP Analytics projected a two-year deal at $3.8 million per season, while Evolving-Hockey pegged him at two years with a $3.62 million AAV.
The Wild also have other business hanging over them before Wednesday, with Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko and Marcus Johansson not expected to be re-signed by then. That makes Brink a priority, especially given how the organization brought him in. Minnesota acquired Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman David Jiricek, who cost the club a first-, second-, third- and fourth-round pick.
Bill Guerin made clear on Saturday that Brink still fits into the Wild’s plans.
“He’s a good player, he’s got offensive ability, he’s got a lot of room to grow and he needs to learn certain parts of playing a certain brand of hockey,” Wild president of hockey operations Bill Guerin said Saturday of Brink. “But he definitely has natural ability and instincts and the ability to produce. He’s one of those guys that we could look to.”
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Stu Bickel brings a coaching resume built over five seasons as an AHL assistant, along with stops at the University of Minnesota and with the Minnesota Magicians, so this is not a leap into the unknown. He also has the kind of playing background that tends to carry weight in these rooms, with NHL experience and a past connection to the Wild organization itself, which makes this feel like more than just a standard affiliate hire as Iowa keeps feeding the pipeline for Minnesota. [Read more 🡒]
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Sabres Rumors Hint At A Franchise Changing Decision In Net
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For Minnesota, the ripple effect is harder to ignore because of the unsettled feeling around its own summer plans. Mats Zuccarello is said to be pretty ticked about how things have unfolded and plans to test free agency, which only adds to the sense that the Wild are navigating a tricky stretch with veteran pieces and cap decisions hanging over the roster. Elsewhere around the league, the trade and signing market keeps moving, but the bigger question for Minnesota is how much more movement it can afford before its own situation turns from complicated to costly. [Read more 🡒]