ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild opted not to tender restricted free agent Bobby Brink a qualifying offer by Monday’s deadline, so it’s likely the team is working toward signing the right wing to a contract lower than his going rate.As of now, however, Brink could become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT if not re-signed.Brink, 24, had arbitration rights, and the arbitration system has lately awarded players with .46 points per game in the $4 million range. The Wild didn’t want to expose themselves to that possibility, so they’ve engaged Brink’s agent, Ben Hankinson, in contract talks over the past few days.
But in the meantime, they technically cut him loose on Monday because a new contract had not yet been reached.AFP Analytics projected Brink’s deal to be $3.8 million a year on a two-year contract, while Evolving-Hockey had him at two years with a $3.62 million AAV.The Wild enter the offseason with only $12 million of cap space with nine forwards, five defensemen and two goalies signed, so a $4 million arbitration potential was too risky.Still, the Wild aren’t expected to re-sign Mats Zuccarello, Vladimir Tarasenko and Marcus Johansson before Wednesday, so bringing Brink back is important. Plus, remember, the Wild acquired Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman David Jiricek, whom they acquired for a first-, second-, third- and fourth-round pick.“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.”Brink has scored 38 goals and 98 points in 214 career games.Jun 30, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
