Is Bobby Brink part of the Flyers’ long-term plans? Danny Brière thinks so.

Flyers general manager Danny Brière has “no worries” about re-signing Bobby Brink.

The forward is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1, and Brière is confident “something will get done.” Brière spoke to The Inquirer while standing in the Phantoms’ press box as Brink was suiting up for the Flyers’ American Hockey League team during the Calder Cup playoffs in late April.

“After the season, I approached him about coming here and playing and you could tell that he wanted it, he wanted to come and play,” Brière said. “He loves the game, he’s a hockey player, and he’s been good in the playoffs here. It would have been easy for him to pack it in and say, ‘Well, I don’t want to be here, I just want to go home.’

“We’ve been really, really impressed with his attitude, coming here, trying to help this team win. We’re very happy with the way Bobby approached the season and how he competed this year.”

Brink’s season was an interesting one.

He surprised the Flyers in training camp — the GM said Brink “might have been the best player in camp” — and forced the club to keep the 22-year-old with the big boys.

The 2023-24 season was his first full season, even though it was split between the Flyers and Phantoms. He played 70 games combined in the regular season, the most since he played in 51 games in 2021-22, with 41 of those at the University of Denver. Brink played in only 41 games with the Phantoms in 2022-23 after undergoing hip surgery the previous summer.

Brink was asked what he thought he improved on this season. “I think just board battles and being in the right positions at the right time and playing within the structure,” he said. “I think learning to make plays at the NHL level and what works and what doesn’t.”

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But it wasn’t all sunshine for Brink this season. He did play in 38 of the Flyers’ first 47 games, notching 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists), but was a healthy scratch for the rest — including a game in his home state of Minnesota. And he was often the target of John Tortorella’s ire, including in late December when the Flyers coach said, “I love the kid. But he doesn’t know how to check his [bleep]. He’s got to learn that part of the game.”

On Jan. 22, Brink was loaned to Lehigh Valley.

“I think they were just looking for me to compete harder and win more battles. I think they were looking for me to play a little more confident,” Brink told The Inquirer. “You kind of sometimes have to figure some of that stuff out yourself. ... I just kind of realized that I wasn’t playing to my full potential there for a bit, that you can’t take a night off and got to be able to compete and win your 50-50s every night.”

During the 11-game stint in the minors, Brink found his confidence and his scoring touch. He thought “a lot of good came from getting sent down,” and not just because he scored six goals and collected 11 points, earning a call-up in late February.

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“You know what I love about Bobby is he never puts his head down, he never complains. He just goes back to work,” Brière said. “And he did that, he got another call-up later in the season. He came in with spunk. He gave us a jolt of energy. I really liked his game down the stretch.

“I know he didn’t play as much, he was mostly on the fourth line. But it felt like every time he was on the ice, something good was happening. He was ultracompetitive and that’s how he’s going to have to keep playing to play in the NHL.”

The late-season Bobby Brink was a breath of fresh air. He did have momentary dips, but he scored four goals playing in 19 of the Flyers’ final 23 games and earned the accolades of his teammates.

“It was a good year,” said Brink, who finished with 11 goals and 12 assists in 57 games. “I thought my game progressed in a lot of spots, mentally, physically. A lot of help from older guys and the coaching staff and I think my game is going in the right direction.”

Now the question is: What does that direction look like?

Highly touted as an offensive threat — whether as a playmaker or a scorer — when he was drafted in the second round (34th overall) in 2019, Brink struggled to find consistency. Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière said the skilled forward who doesn’t shy away from physical play — no, he “won’t be blowing anybody up” any time soon, as Brink said with a laugh — needs to work on his 200-foot game like most young players in today’s game.

But while Brink will spend the summer working on improving everything, he will take a lot from the ups and downs of this past season.

“I learned that I can make plays at the highest level and that you have to bring your best game every day,” he said. “And you can’t take a night off. But when you’re playing at the top of your game, you have to take advantage of it and you can’t let it dip.”