Flyers' Bobby Brink undergoes hip surgery, expected to miss five months

The Philadelphia Flyers can’t catch a break. Bobby Brink, one of the team’s most exciting young players, recently underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. He has been given a recovery timeline of five months, according to Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic.

Brink, 21, made his NHL debut at the end of last season after an outstanding year with the University of Denver that included winning the national championship and leading the NCAA in scoring. While he didn’t score a goal during his 10-game stint with the Flyers, he showed enough talent and upside to suggest he would break camp with them this season.

Now, his next chance to suit up will be in the middle of the year — if the recovery timeline is accurate.

This news follows other injury announcements from the team, including one to Joel Farabee, the team’s other talented young winger, which could force him to miss the start of the regular season as well. Not to mention Ryan Ellis, whose future is still completely unclear, and Ivan Fedotov’s uncertain Russian situation. A lot of the reasons to get excited about Flyers hockey this season have been removed from the picture, at least temporarily, meaning it will be a tough task for new head coach John Tortorella at the start of the year.

Hopefully, Brink will return to full strength on schedule and will be able to contribute to the Flyers this season. He enters the second year of his entry-level contract, and is scheduled for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.