With the Flyers on the brink of missing the playoffs for a third straight season, the team announced on Friday morning it has parted ways with president of hockey operations and general manager Chuck Fletcher.
In a press release, the Flyers stated they are about “to re-structure hockey operations leadership.”
Dave Scott, chairman of Comcast Spectacor and governor of the Flyers, said Danny Briere, currently serving as special assistant to the general manager, has been named interim general manager while the organization begins the process of permanently filling two separate positions: a president of hockey Operations and a general manager.
Brière will travel to be with the team in Pittsburgh today as it prepares for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Penguins.
Scott issued the following statement:
“The Philadelphia Flyers organization has always been defined by grit, determination, and a standard of excellence. Over the past several seasons, our team simply has not lived up to that standard, so today, we will begin to chart a new path forward under a new leadership structure for Hockey Operations.
“This morning, we released Chuck Fletcher from his president and general manager responsibilities. We are grateful for his hard work and dedication to this organization, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward. Chuck faced significant challenges during his time as president and general manager, including some that were outside of his control, but we have reached a point at which we must move in a different direction and look to the future under new leadership.”
Flyers fans have had to sit through a couple “rebuilds” and clearly have become impatient with the team’s performance. Sell-out crowds were once the rule at the Wells Fargo Center.
Now they are the exception.
“Flyers fans deserve a better team than what they’ve seen on the ice over the past few seasons,” Scott said. “And a clear plan to return this team to Stanley Cup contention. We know that this will be a multi-year process, and we are committed to doing it right, because we want to put this franchise on a path toward winning the Stanley Cup, period.
“In the coming days, we will begin the process of re-structuring our hockey operations department by separating the president and general manager positions. We view this as a critical opportunity to not only re-establish the standard of excellence that our fans expect, but also to bring new energy, accountability, and strategic vision to our organization.
“As interim general manager, Danny Brière will oversee Hockey Operations. He is ideally suited for this role, having served as special assistant to the general manager of the Flyers for the past year in addition to his more than 25 years in professional hockey as a player and in management. He will ensure a smooth transition following Chuck’s departure and support the team and head coach John Tortorella through the remainder of the season and into the offseason.”
Fletcher was hired by the Flyers in November, 2018 after the release of Ron Hextall from the GM position.
The Flyers did not make the playoffs in the 2018-19 season and, after winning a playoff round for the first time since 2012 in the 2019-20 campaign, missed again in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Briere, a former player with the Flyers, Phoenix, Buffalo, Montreal and Colorado, competed in a total of 973 NHL games.
In 364 games with the Flyers, he recorded 124 goals/283 points. But it was in the playoffs where he made his biggest impact.
He set a single-season record for points in the postseason when he registered 12 goals/30 points in the Flyers’ run to the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Final.
In total, he recorded 72 points for the Flyers in the postseason.
Fletcher and Briere were not available for comment, according to the Flyers.
