NHL Daily: Flyers’ Briere Sounds Ready; Devils Make Statement

The Philadelphia Flyers’ front office bosses, Dave Scott and Dan Hilferty, had to be impressed by Danny Briere’s confidence and the message he delivered Sunday.

Briere, the Flyers’ interim general manager, made it clear that the organization has lots of work to do.

He even used a word that was not in his predecessor’s vocabulary: rebuild.

The Flyers will interview other candidates, but Briere is the leading candidate to land the job. He knows the organization inside-out, knows both the business and management sides, and seems ready and eager for the challenge.

He said it won’t be a quick fix, “but at the same time, that doesn’t mean we’re going to a full fire sale and have a complete new team next year,” he said.

Briere, who had been a special assistant to general manager Chuck Fletcher, has had his mind on being a GM for a long time.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s something I saw myself do from early on when I was playing, and I always believed that I could be in this position one day.” he said.

While Briere talked about hoping to get a chance to remake the Flyers, a team whose rebuild he may want to copy  — New Jersey — had a statement win Sunday.

The Devils (44-16-6) beat Carolina, 3-0, and moved into a tie to with the Hurricanes (43-14-8) in points atop the Metropolitan Division. Jesper Bratt, 24, a sixth-round pick in 2016 who has turned into a high-quality player, had two goals and Vitek Vanecek made 32 saves to pace New Jersey.

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Around the NHL and National Hockey Now

Philly Hockey Now: Danny Briere addressed the medica for the first time since he was named the Flyers’ interim GM. He had lots of interesting things to say. Philadelphia Flyers.

Philly Hockey Now: Brian Boucher is now the Philadelphia Flyers GM. Did I get your attention? Actually, Boucher is the team’s GM in the 1980s in a TV episode of “The Goldbergs” on Wednesday. Philadelphia Flyers.

New Jersey Devils: The Devs are on a 7-1-1 run after blanking Carolina. The Metro race is going down to the wire. New Jersey Devils.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Kris Letang’s power-play goal gave the Penguins a 3-2 overtime win over the third-place New York Rangers, a team they are trying to catch in the Metro. Pittsburgh Penguins.

Vegas Hockey Now: It was a win created by youngsters as the Golden Knights whipped St. Louis, 5-3. Vegas Golden Knights.

Detroit Hockey Now: One day after Boston beat Detroit and became the first team in NHL history to register 50 wins in its first 64 games, the Red Wings returned the favor. The Wings’ The Wings’ special teams carried them to a stunning 5-3 win in Detroit. It was Boston’s first Atlantic Division loss in six weeks. Detroit Red Wings.

Colorado Hockey Now: The Avs’ Nathan MacKinnon is sizzling. Since Jan. 1, only Connor McDavid has more points. In that span, MacKinnon has more points than anyone at even strength. Colorado Avalanche.

Washington Hockey Now: Talk about a transformation! Trevor van Riemsdyk (James’ little brother), 31, was a No. 7 defenseman a couple years ago, and he’s now on Washington’s top pairing. That’s why the Caps rewarded him with a three-year deal Saturday that has an annual $3 million cap hit. Washington Capitals.