VOORHEES, N.J. – General manager Daniel Briere knew the questions would be coming so he sat with a wry smile and a look of anticipation when the first one was asked.
After surprising the hockey world by finishing third in the Metropolitan Division standings and winning a first-round playoff series against Pittsburgh last season, no doubt expectations will be high for the Flyers this season.
How does Briere temper those hopes?
“We expect it to be harder,” Briere said during Tuesday’s press briefing at the Flyers Training Center. “For me, it’s exciting because we’re at a time now you want to see how your guys handle the talk.
“You know, we’re not going to creep up on anyone this year. I think teams will be much better prepared after what happened last year, there’s no way we surprise some teams down the stretch.”
The Flyers figure to get full seasons from youngsters Porter Martone, Denver Barkey and Alex Bump, plus a few other reinforcements are on the way with the addition of goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman David Jiricek.
“I’m excited to see how our guys approach this season,” Briere said. “How do they perform when things get harder. It’s going to tell us a lot about our team.”
Briere is well aware the Flyers, especially the young guys, could play well and still take a step back, i.e., miss the postseason.
“What keeps me up at night is having some of your players feel complacent,” the GM said. “And they feel like they’ve made it. We’re still a young team. I worry that coming back they’ll think it’s a little easier than they realize.
“If that happens — and they (young players) are going to be a big part of our team — we could have a setback. At the end of the day, I hope they don’t take it lightly, that they come out swinging and have a great second year pro.”
>Grebenkin only injured player
Heading into the first day of regular training camp on Thursday, Nikita Grebenkin appears to be the only player deadling with an injury.
“He had a little flare-up last week and I was told he might miss the first few days of camp,” Briere said. “But it shouldn’t be much longer than that. He’s the only one I know has something going on at the moment.”
>Jiricek could earn defense spot
David Jiricek, acquired from Minnesota in last season’s Bobby Brink trade, figures to challenge for a defense spot on this year’s team.
The No. 6 spot was a revolving door last year and with the trade of Emil Andrae, that position could be up for grabs.
“We hope David is ready to go,” Briere said. “That was the message to him. He’s going to have a great opportunity here to showcase what he can do.”
Briere mentioned players such as Oliver Bonk, Ty Murchison and Hunter McDonald who are also in the mix.
“It’s going to be a fierce competition,” Briere said. “We have the option to go with different numbers. It could be seven, it could be eight. But certainly David is going to have a great chance here to take a step.”
>Another big swing on horizon?
The Flyers made headlines this summer when they signed Anaheim free-agent center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90-million offer sheet, which the Ducks matched.
Are the Flyers preparing to take another big swing after the aforementioned disappointment?
“It’s there, we’re positioned ourselves, we took some licks, missed the playoffs (five straight years) to just throw away the (salary) cap space that we’ve built (would be a waste),” Briere said.
“We’re not going to be reckless about it (another offer sheet). It was so tough to get there, to have that freedom, we want to try to get the right guy and spend our money properly. If something comes up that makes sense, we definitely won’t be afraid to swing again.”
>Big plans for Foerster
If not for missing 49 games due to an arm injury (and surgery), it might have been a big year for Tyson Foerster. He still finished with 13 goals in 29 games. The Flyers rewarded him with an eight-year, $56.8-million contract extension.
“I think it shows the confidence we have in him,” Briere said. “To sign him to an eight-year extension. I think that says it all, how much we think of him. He’s a smart player who can help you both sides of the ice. He’s got leadership abilities. Pretty soon, if he’s not already, he’s going to be part of that leadership group. I expect big things moving forward. We think the world of him.”
>Power play plans
Briere indicated he’s encouraged by the progress of defenseman Jamie Drysdale, particularly on the power play.
“Jamie took a huge step last year in his overall play,” Briere said. “I thought our power play was definitely better than it was the year before but the stats didn’t show that, you have to convert. My hope is Jamie taking another step will help that.
“It’s always a sore subject that we haven’t figured out yet. We saw some steps forward but we didn’t get the results. We need the results now.”
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