Briere encouraged by Flyers management being on board with his ‘patient approach’

VOORHEES, N.J. – Daniel Briere smiled when the words “patient approach” came up.
During Tuesday’s press conference at the Flyers Training Center, the Flyers general manager was asked if he was pleased to hear both team governor/CEO Dan Hilferty and president Keith Jones have endorsed that philosophy.
After all, this is Briere’s third year at the control board and the Flyers are coming off on of the most disappointing seasons in team history.
But one thing is for sure: Briere plans to continue to not look for the quick fix. He wants to build a team which will not only contend for a season or two but one which will be in the playoff mix for years to come.
It’s been five years since the Flyers saw postseason action but that’s not going to change Briere’s plan one bit.
“We’ve had the support of Dan Hilferty from day one as far as a support,” Briere said. “The goal is to build a team that is going to become a contender for years to come. The goal is just not to make the playoffs one year, get knocked out, disappear for two years.”
So the word “sustainability” keeps coming up.
“It’s about building a team,” Briere said, “that will eventually have a shot at winning some rounds and winning a Stanley Cup. Being there for year after year. We’ve been very fortunate for Dan Hilferty to believe in us and the support of our fans is critical.
“The toughest part is to be patient. Sometimes you want to do some moves that could help you right now. That’s the tough part. But I try to remind myself the goal is to build a team that going to sustain that level for years to come. . .not just reset and try a different way again.”
Playoffs would be nice but it’s not going to be the deciding factor in any big decisions. However, Briere isn’t ruling out a surprise run similar to the 2023-24 season.
“We want to make the playoffs,” he said. “It’s not the priority but we still want to be there. I want the players to keep pushing in that direction.”

>What’s Plan B?

Despite all the good vibes, what happens if the upcoming season doesn’t show progress? What then?
The Flyers might have to go back into subtraction mode again.
“We might have to,” Briere admitted. “It’s not what we’re looking to do at the moment. We want to put the team in position to take a step forward. There’s a lot of young players we need to be patient with. It doesn’t happen overnight in the NHL.”

>Injury updates

Briere provided an update on the players who are either injured or close to returning to action.
Those included defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (pectoral surgery), left wing Tyson Foerster (arm infection surgery) and center Jett Luchanko (lingering groin injury).
“It’s looking good on the (Ristolainen) front,” Briere said. “We knew all along he wouldn’t start the season but everything is looking good for him to meet up with the team in the first month and a half, two months of the season. It’s trending in the right direction.”
Foerster will be in a non-contact jersey to start training camp. That should be removed in about a week and he figures to see some game action later in the preseason.
Luchanko was held out of the Flyers-Rangers Rookie Series as a precaution. Briere said he will be a full participant in practices starting Thursday.
Defenseman Oliver Bonk (upper-body issue) was also held scratched from the rookie games. He had an MRI done on Tuesday.

>Roster spots open

One question which keeps popping up is how many jobs are open for the upcoming season.
“There’s a few,” Briere said. “A big part of it is the development of our young guys. In the rookie games, I thought (Nikita) Grebenkin and (Alex) Bump looked good. Obviously Luchanko is in that mix. (Jack) Nesbitt, (Jacob) Gaucher and (Denver) Barkey really stood out as well in those rookie games.”
Defensemen Bonk and Helge Grans are also in that mix.
Briere said Aleksei Kolosov will be the organization’s No. 3 goaltender and the prime starter for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Samuel Ersson and Dan Vlador are the two top netminders for the Flyers.
The GM believes the crop of young players will be pushing hard for jobs this season.
“There’s going to be some interesting fights for roster spots,” Briere predicted. “That’s what I’m excited about. No one can be comfortable with what they’ve done in the past. They have to keep getting better and better. That includes all the veterans. Our young players are hungry for more. . .maybe they will push us to get closer to the playoffs.”

>Working with Tocchet

Briere competed against coach Rick Tocchet during their playing years in the late ‘90s. Now the two are working together.
“It’s been awesome,” Briere said. “It’s been great. He’s getting to know the players more and more. He’s asking a lot of questions, which is cool. He’s also starting to make his own opinions. It’s been great sharing thoughts. I’ve been really impressed with him and his coaching staff and the way they’re breaking the game down.”

>Hart not interested

Former Flyer goaltender Carter Hart, who was recently exonerated by the NHL and is free to rejoin the league, has indicated he doesn’t have interest in re-signing with Philadelphia.
Hart’s representative spoke with Briere and said that because of a past history in Philadelphia and the recent court case, the netminder probably prefers a fresh start.