Philadelphia Flyers
Briere Comments on Flyers’ Future: ‘We still need to find more talent’
Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere is in Finland getting a closer look at some of the best prospects of the 2024 NHL Draft during the IIHF Men’s U18 World Championships, and his motive is simple. Briere seeks to find the next building blocks for the Flyers’ future.
The second-year GM spent some time with TSN’s Bryan Mudryk to explain the process and where his head is at with the 2024 NHL Draft just under a month away.
“There’s a lot of good players. That’s what’s so good about coming here to this tournament, the U18,” Briere said. “Players change so much, too, when you see them in August at the Hlinka, to, all throughout the season the different places they play, the different tournaments. . . It gives you a better insight going to the draft in just a few weeks.”
Briere appears to already have some ideas in his head ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft, too. The Flyers will have their own first-round pick, as well as the one acquired from the Florida Panthers. That should set them up to add another two building blocks for the future if they play their cards right.
“We try not to get too excited about that crew,” Briere said of the 2025 NHL Draft-eligible players, likely referring to Canada forwards Caleb Desnoyers and Porter Martone. “But, they’ve been impressive, especially the guys for Canada. The top line (Desnoyers, Martone, and Gavin McKenna), the two defensemen; it’s been really impressive.
“It gets you thinking and excited about 2025, but there’s some good players in ’24, too. That’s what we’re focusing on this season.”
McKenna won’t be draft-eligible until 2026, but Desnoyers and Martone are officially showcasing themselves for this time next year.
As for players the Flyers might be interested in this year, it sounds like Briere has gotten a good look at the Canada group so far. That includes names like Tij Iginla, Henry Mews, Jett Luchanko, Ryder Ritchie, Liam Greentree, Maxim Masse, Cole Beaudoin, and more.
Flyers GM Daniel Briere catches up with TSN's @BryanMudryk on the future of the Flyers at the #U18MensWorlds. pic.twitter.com/UsG9vAlKvy
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 4, 2024
Perhaps Charlie Elick, a Brandon Wheat Kings teammate of Flyers prospect Carson Bjarnason who plays on Canada’s top defense pairing, is one of the defensemen Briere was referring to.
Iginla is the likeliest of the group to be selected with the Flyers’ earlier of the two first-round picks, but the late first-round pick seems totally up in the air. At least Briere isn’t short of good options.
“We got to keep in perspective that we have a young team. We still need to find more talent; find ways to score more goals,” Briere added. “That’s going to be the key moving forward.”
Briere and the Flyers insist on continuing the rebuild the way they’ve gone about it since Day 1, which reinforces the notion from Briere’s exit interview that the Flyers are not necessarily requiring a playoff berth next year, even after all that they achieved this season.
The Flyers have a plan, and they’re sticking to it regardless of the circumstances. That’s the right way to do business.
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Need more talent Danny…….trade the 12th pick in the draft , along with defenseman prospect Emil Andrae and RW prospect Samu Taumaala to the Leafs for Mitch Marner……..they will be vitually hamstrung to impossible in re-signing him……their ‘core four’ is costing them bundles of cap hits.
I am trying to be optimistic about this organization. It’s good they recognized the need to “rebuild” or whatever they’re calling it, and it’s good that Danny B is saying that they need more talent and scoring ability. I am concerned that the three biggest reasons they dropped to the lower tier of the league are going to remain: (1) poor drafting, (2) inability to manage the salary cap, and (3) giving contracts that have too much term or are paying too much without corresponding value. These problems can be blamed on previous management, yes, but I am concerned that the approach has become an organizational mindset. Couturier’s cap hit is $7.75 million through 2029-30 and he is already an aging, injury-laden player. Joel Farabee was a 20-goal 50-point player this season; is that worth $5 million per year? Deslauriers gets $1.75 million for three more seasons. I love Tippett, but at $6.2 million for seven more seasons, he needs to put up more than 28 goals and 50 points. Sanheim, $6.25 million. Watch what they give Brink this summer after he scored ten goals this year. They often pay out on potential but then the potential isn’t realized. Then there’s retaining salary: Hayes, $3.5 million and D’Angelo, $1.6 million for two more seasons. Yes, it’s easy for me to be an armchair GM, but they have to somehow get away from overvaluing players, giving overly long contracts, and salary retention.
Players taken in this year’s draft, even first-rounders, may or may not develop into NHL players. They have no one on the Phantoms who looks to be an impact NHL player in the future. The above reasons leave us with no real dollars to sign the goal scoring we need as free agents. That’s the source of my pessimism.
The Flyers will really need the young players like Frost, Foerster, Tippett, Brink, and Farabee, if we keep him, to blossom into real offensive threats. If they do, if we hit on our draft picks, if Michkov comes over and is the real deal, if the new management is smarter than it was, then there’s reason to be optimistic. Just don’t say “trust the process”.
All of the mistakes you mentioned were done by previous GM in charge, Fletcher. The only mistake that DB has made was giving up a third round pick for Erik “human pylon” Johnson. Hopefully he doesn’t compound his lone mistake by giving him a new contract offer. Resigning Walker should be their defensive tip of the iceberg deal.
Yes, I mentioned that. Sometimes ways of doing things become ingrained in an organization over time, even when new managers come in. Problems were evident even before Fletcher. Time will tell if the Briere/Jones regime will break out of the organizational character.
Where are you seeing “poor drafting”? Perhaps you are referring to some of Ron Hextall’s decisions? He took some gambles that didn’t work out. But Brent Flahr has done a pretty good job. Coots’ deal was signed well before his back injury. The mistake there AND on Risto’s contract, was they were signed too soon, both by CF. Maybe you still want Hayes here not playing Torts’ system? (A contagious thing…) And you’re already throwing Tippett under the bus? That’s exactly what Danny B is talking about. When there are only a couple snipers in the lineup it’s easier to defend. More skill players spread out the defense. I would stick with your daytime job.
With your thinking, they will remain mediocre in the middle of the league. Enjoy that.
What poor drafting? Fletcher traded so many away and drafted Gauthier. That’s it. Michkov is under contract.
Um, this poor drafting (an organizational issue since the 90s): JVR (good, but not 2nd overall material), Nolan Patrick over Cale Makar, Quitter Gauthier (do better homework on character), Sam Morin, Jay O’Brien, German Rubtstov, Steve Downie, Mike Ricci over Jaromir Jagr…
Not getting a top line forward back for Gauthier was a fumble
They got the best deal that they could get for Cutter. A promising defenseman and a second round pick.
There is no way that the Flyers can draft Tig Iginla. The Flames draft a few slots ahead of the Flyers and they will probably choose him as a legacy pick, similar to the Eagles with Trotter Jr.