VOORHEES, N.J. – Daniel Briere didn’t even wait for the questions to start. He wanted to make a statement before his end-of-season press conference began.
In an opening statement, the Flyers’ general manager said he was extremely gratified not only by the way his team played this past season but also by the way the loyal fan base supported that effort.
The Flyers’ late push to the Stanley Cup playoffs and unexpected first-round win over Pittsburgh has raised the spirits of everyone both in the organization and out.
“First, how impressed and proud I was of our players and coaching staff,” Briere said in Thursday’s end-of-season press conference at the Flyers Training Center. “They never quit, this team has been known the last few years as a team that’s relentless about never quitting. And they showed that again this year.”
Briere liked the way his team dug in after the Winter Olympic break, winning 18 of its last 25 games to make the playoffs on the next-to-last game of the season.
“You’ve all heard that number, 3.8 percent (chance of making the playoffs),” Briere said. “It’s pretty amazing what they were able to do and keep believing in themselves and keep pushing forward.”
Of note, the Flyers finished last in the Metropolitan Division in the 2024-25 season and somehow made it all the way back to the third spot this year. Quite an improvement.
“I wanted to acknowledge that, how amazing it was,” Briere said. “The push that they made and the players and the coaches.”
Now the goal is to keep going to the playoffs on a yearly basis.
“I don’t want to lower expectations,” Briere said regarding next season. “The players want another taste of it. That was such a fun run. I think the guys want to experience that again.”
The Flyers recently sent out a thank you note to their fans to let them know how much they appreciated the following.
“We always ask a lot of our fans, we ask them to invest in the team,” Briere said. “Spend money and time to come and see us. What they did last game (a two-minute standing ovation) was truly, truly amazing.
“I wanted them to know that. Our players took notice of that. I probably had seven or eight guys in exit meetings specifically mention how the fans reacted (Game 4 vs. Carolina). The comment that kept coming back was they knew how special it was to play in the playoffs in Philadelphia but they didn’t realize how special. The fans really made it that extra special. Our players noticed.”
Although the Flyers made the postseason perhaps a little earlier than some expected, Briere has no plans to change his method of operation. There aren’t any plans to make headline-grabbing trades or lucrative free-agent signings. He’s doing it the old-fashioned way through the draft and player development.
“From the time we started (May, 2023), we said it was going to be a rebuild,” Briere said. “And we needed patience. I think we’ve shown that’s what we’ve done.”
That doesn’t mean Briere won’t go out of that conservative approach if there’s an opportunity that will serve the Flyers best.
“Now if there’s a chance to help improve the team and something that makes sense for the long run, yes we will jump on it,” Briere said. “But as far as I’m concerned, it’s the same thing. We’re still in the growth part of the rebuild.
“What has changed is the experience our guys have gotten. You can’t buy experience for 19-, 20-, 21-year-olds. That is what I am really excited about.”
The NHL salary cap for 2026-27 is going up by about $8 million and the Flyers are projected to be 10th in available space.
“The good thing is, we’re in a good spot as far as the salary cap,” Briere said. “There’s a lot of upside there. If there’s an opportunity to jump on something to help us, it’s my job to look at everything. But I don’t feel that I’m forced to make a move just to make a move because we’ve made it into the playoffs this year.”
Sustainability is what something Briere has said all along he wants the Flyers to achieve.
“We’ve said it for a long time, wanted to build a team that would be here for a long time,” he said. “Not just to go for it for a year or two. That’s still the same approach on my end.”
So what are the Flyers’ biggest needs?
“I don’t think it’s changed much since last summer,” Briere said. “Last summer we said goalie in that mix. I think we have to give credit to our goalies (Dan Vladar, Sam Ersson). They were excellent. We’d probably like to improve everythere else.”
One thing the Flyers would like to get their hands on is a strong center who can help out at both ends of the rink, including the power play.
Briere said the Trevor Zegras to center move has helped, as has a similar switch by Denver Barkey.
“If we can improve on defense, we’re going to look at that, too,” the GM said. “Nothing much has changed other than the goaltending position.”
Can Vladar be the long-term solution at the goaltender position?
“He blew away the expectations we had on him,” Briere said. “He really took over, earned more starts. The way he played in the playoffs gives you confidence that he can be the answer here for a few more years.”
Briere also thinks Ersson can remain a good backup to Vladar.
“It was a tough start for Sam,” Briere said. “But we also have to give him credit, the way he stuck with it. The way he found a way to bounce back to win some really big games.”
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