March 22, 2023 | 8:35pm ET
By Anthony Di Marco, TheFourthPeriod.com

FLYERS READY FOR NEW APPROACH

Flyers Interim GM Danny Briere

It’s been nearly two weeks since the landscape of the Philadelphia Flyers drastically shifted. As I tweeted out at a little after 1am EST on March 11th, the Flyers front office went through a major change, relieving President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chuck Fletcher of his duties. Special Assistant to the GM, Danny Briere, was named Interim GM.

After a third consecutive disappointing season, the shoe was inevitably going to drop on Fletcher. Going back to last summer – specifically after passing on free agent forward Johnny Gaudreau – there was a sense his days were numbered, as one league executive told me the day after the firing. The fans were calling for it and after a disastrous handling of the Trade Deadline, the fan vitriol boiled over – as was on display at the team’s town hall with season ticket holders the day after the deadline.

Whether entirely his fault or not, Fletcher failed. The problems go beyond him and, as one team source said to me, he was put in a bad position from the start holding both titles of President and GM just six months into his time with the Flyers. Regardless, it was time for a change. But not just a change of the figurehead of Hockey Ops – a change in mentality.

In his introductory press conference as Interim GM, Briere used a word the organization (aside from Head Coach John Tortorella) has been reluctant to use: rebuild. While he emphasized that doesn’t mean “fire sale,” Briere firmly stated that he was not afraid to use the word “rebuild” and that this wasn’t going to be a quick fix. He also has vocalized that Flyers hockey “isn’t the Broad Street Bullies anymore” while being interviewed on 97.5 The Fanatic last week, as many have felt that a more progressive mindset to team building is needed.

This is something Flyers fans have been wanting to hear for a long time. From an on-ice perspective, it’s something that has been desperately needed for several years. The business side – which should be commended for their strong work to extend an olive branch to fans this season – has been accepting of this, compensating season ticket holders for games next season. At long last, it appears the hockey side is going to be doing the same.

The Business and Hockey Ops sides finally seeing eye-to-eye is a long time coming, as I’ve heard of there being a major disconnect over the last several years. According to one source, Fletcher was not overly familiar with the Comcast people, as he was hired when Paul Holmgren was President and oversaw all facets of the organization. Holmgren retired six months after hiring Fletcher, which saw the “President” role get divided into two and shared between Fletcher and Valerie Camillo, who now serves as President & CEO of Comcast Sports and Entertainment, along with being an Alternate Governor for the Flyers.

According to several sources, there is a belief that Briere can be the one to finally bring both sides together on a unified front. Given his time as President of the ECHL’s Maine Mariners, a Comcast-owned team with no direct affiliation to the Flyers, Briere has a lot of familiarity with those from Comcast. His existing relationship with many on the business side will undoubtedly make things easier from the onset than that of his predecessor.

The Flyers are finally ready to take a different approach to how they do things; but what does that exactly entail?

First and foremost, the team will have to see what comes of the NHL Draft Lottery in early May. Entering Tuesday night’s action, the Flyers have the sixth best odds – not accounting for the two lottery balls the Arizona Coyotes will have – to come out with the first or second overall pick, per Tankathon.com. While unlikely, there is an outside chance that luck could (literally) bounce the Flyers’ way that could see them end up with a potential generational talent.

While such luck would certainly help expedite things, it doesn’t appear that even a lottery win would drastically alter the Flyers’ plans.

From what I’ve heard, Briere has a good idea of how he’d like to build this thing going forward. The vision is not to build a team “just to make the playoffs” – he wants it to be done the right way.

And before we go any further, let’s address the elephant in the room. The “interim” tag on Briere’s title is nothing more than a formality, which many have reported already. Based on conversations I’ve had with those close to the situation, Briere was informed prior to his appointment as Interim GM that, barring any colossal changes, he would be assuming the role permanently in the near future and the “interim” label was only temporary.

With all that in mind, who stays and who goes with Briere in the GM chair?

As I first reported in early January, the Flyers have been exploring ways to move on from forward Kevin Hayes. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, groundwork was laid with the Columbus Blue Jackets for a potential deal in the summer.

Hayes, who turns 31 in May, has ties with the Jackets given his close personal relationships with Gaudreau and Rick Nash, who works in the front office. I’d imagine the Flyers will be retaining in the neighborhood of 33% of salary for the three years remaining on Hayes’ deal that carries an AAV of $7.14 million. As for a return, I don’t imagine it being anything monumental.

Defenseman Ivan Provorov’s name has been the subject of trade rumors for several months. The 26-year-old defender eats a ton of (defensively heavy) minutes and the Flyers feel they don’t have a clear cut in-house replacement to take those on right away. I’ve also heard he is in the good graces of Tortorella, as evident by one of only two Flyers’ defensemen (other being Nick Seeler) to not fall in the coaches’ doghouse at some point this season.

The latest I’ve heard is that Provorov is “most likely” going to be back with the team next season, as the team believes they will have a tough time getting fair value for him. But if a team comes calling with a fair offer, I think the Flyers will seriously consider it.

Before his injury, forward Travis Konecny was enjoying a renaissance season under Tortorella. With 27 goals and 27 assists through 52 games, the 26-year-old was garnering attention across the league. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, there was one team prepared to make a big offer for Konecny ahead of the deadline.

As has been said at length – both by TFP and on the 32 Thoughts podcast – the Flyers are in no hurry to move Konecny, as he has meshed very well with Tortorella and is viewed as a part of the solution. But as one person said to me, the Flyers are “in no position” to label any player untouchable and will listen on anyone.

Which brings us to goaltender Carter Hart.

Once thought to be the only untouchable on the team, Friedman reported last week that he expects Hart to be available. Checking in on this, while the Flyers will definitely not slam down the phone, there is no plan to actively shop Hart at this time. The thought (presumably) came given the Flyers’ sudden depth at the goaltending position, although Samuel Ersson’s play has seen a dip since returning to the AHL. Felix Sandstrom still appears to be a guy the team believes in as an NHL caliber back up, which has left three goaltenders potentially in the mix heading into next season.

The Flyers do have some depth in goal (including overseas) and Hart is arguably the best trade chip they have, but I’ve heard whispers they may be unable to get true value for Hart via trade. Looking around the NHL, I struggled to find teams that would be willing to pay a haul for Hart. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames were once thought to be possible destinations, but both teams have invested relatively long term into their respective goaltending tandems. The Ottawa Senators are an interesting team but given GM Pierre Dorion’s resistance to pay a haul for Jakob Chychrun, I wonder if he’d be willing to give adequate value for Hart.

With one year left on his contract at a shade under $4 million, the Flyers still have 15 months before they have to make a definitive decision one way or another on Hart. While the possibility is certainly there, it’s something I have a hard time seeing at this point.

Aside from those names, there are a lot of younger players that have taken strides this season that will likely be back. Noah Cates and Owen Tippett have been the most impressive among forwards under the age of 25, while Cam York has been regarded as the team’s best defenseman this year by some within the organization.

Forwards Wade Allison and Morgan Frost have been decent, although they have struggled with consistency, but I think there’s a decent shot that both are back next season. Forward Joel Farabee has had a disappointing season, but given his recovery from major surgery in the off-season, I think he will be getting a (justifiable) pass for his down year. The five years and $25 million still owed on his contract may play a factor, too.

In the case of 2022 fifth-overall pick Cutter Gauthier, I’ve heard there has been no definitive decision on whether or not he will be returning to Boston College next year. The 19-year-old has had an impressive freshman season with BC, registering 16 goals and 37 points through 32 games, but I’ve heard whispers there is still work to be done if he wants to be a centre in the NHL. My best guess at this point is that he will be going back for a sophomore season at BC.

The outlook of the roster may be similar next season, but the organizational philosophy is going to be completely different. Gone are the days of chasing seventh or eighth seed playoff berths with hopes of maybe winning a round; the plan has shifted to building a championship caliber team the “right” way.

The vision is right, and the words being said are nice, but the execution will be the true test as to whether we will see a return to relevance on Broad Street.

What else is coming in the Front Office?

As what was brought up on 32 Thoughts following Fletcher’s dismissal, there are expected to be more changes coming over the following months in the Flyers’ front office.

As I mentioned above, Briere sticking as the permanent GM is close to a slam dunk, with it having already been verbalized to him, from what I’m told. There is also a strong belief that Comcast Spectacor Chairman Dave Scott will be retiring, with newly appointed CEO Dan Hilferty (presumably) taking over his responsibilities, who's hiring was described to me as “not being a coincidence” a little over a month ago.

But beyond that, there is widespread speculation as to what can become of the rest of the Hockey Ops department.

During his press conference two Sundays ago, Briere gave Executive Vice President and AGM Brent Flahr an endorsement. I initially thought that this could’ve been Briere just giving lip service, but I’ve been told Briere does think highly of Flahr (specifically his drafting track record) and has a good working relationship with him. While the ultimate decision will not be only Briere’s to make (and will depend on what Flahr wants, too), I’ve been told that as of now the expectation is that Flahr will be remaining in the Flyers’ front office.

There was an early assumption that, given their long-standing working relationship going back to their days with the Minnesota Wild, Flahr and Fletcher were a package deal. It appears that is not necessarily the case.

As discussed on the Snow the Goalie podcast, there has been speculation that Flahr was more in line with Briere’s thinking of a rebuild being needed. If that is the case and Flahr is on board with Briere’s vision, there may be a path where the former is part of the solution long term.

In the case of the other AGM, Barry Hanrahan, I’ve heard that there is no sense that he will be imminently relieved of his duties, either. Hanrahan has been in charge of the Flyers’ contracts since the institution of the salary cap in 2005-06, working under the GM tenures of Bob Clarke, Paul Holmgren, Ron Hextall and Fletcher. Based on conversations I’ve had with those around the organization, Briere is in favor of keeping Hanarahan around.

Among all front office questions, the biggest is who will be the President of Hockey Ops.

There have been early names thrown out on 32 Thoughts and, personally speaking, the two most intriguing at this point are Chris Pronger and Ray Shero.

Pronger, 48, is a Hall of Fame defenseman who played for the Hartford Whalers, St Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks and Flyers during his playing career before retiring due to pos-concussion symptoms during the 2011-12 season. He has previously worked in the NHL and Florida Panthers front offices.

Pronger stepped away from his role with the Panthers in July of 2020 and is currently running a travel and luxury company with his wife in Missouri. It’s unclear whether or not a President role would interest Pronger, but I’ve heard from a league executive (and former teammate of his) that he would “do a great job.” The same person did mention that knowing Pronger, he would either be “all in or completely out.”

In the case of Shero, there is a much longer executive track record with Stanley Cup Championships to back it up. The Architect of the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins Cup team, Shero’s fingerprints are all over the current New Jersey Devils’ roster, too.

Shero, 60, was (seemingly) fired out of left field as GM of the Devils in January of 2020. He currently serves as the Senior Advisor to the GM for the Minnesota Wild.

Shero is the son of legendary Flyers Head Coach Fred Shero, who was the bench boss during the franchise's lone two Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. His son, Kyle Shero, currently serves as a College Scout for the Flyers.

While there are several family ties to the organization, Shero has never officially worked for the Flyers and would be viewed as an “outside” hire.