Danny Briere
Flyers interim GM Danny Briere met with the media on Sunday morning and officially went where his predecessor wouldn’t. The Flyers are officially in a rebuild, one that Briere says “needs to be done the right way.”
The release of Chuck Fletcher as Flyers GM and President of Hockey Operations was a place to start, but only the first stepping stone to the bigger process that remains. It’s time for the Flyers to dive head-first into it with a new guard manning the wheel.
Chuck Fletcher has been fired as Flyers GM and President of Hockey Operations. Danny Briere will serve as interim GM. In a statement, Dave Scott also expressed that the team will separated the GM and President of Hockey Operations roles in a new leadership structure.
One day prior to the four-year anniversary of Ron Hextall’s firing as Flyers GM, chants of “Fire Fletcher” could be heard at Wells Fargo Center. Chuck Fletcher’s time should be running out, but it’s not the only change that needs to be made.
On Wednesday, you saw that the current regime is incapable of handling a rebuild. They insisted upon an aggressive retool for a fast fix, not the necessary rebuild needed. Now it’s time to start that rebuild anyway, but focus on the front office that has so clearly set the Flyers back.
John Tortorella certainly knew all the right things to say, but doesn’t have much of a filter. What you see is what you get with him, there’s no gray area. That hardly appears to be the case with Flyers management. There’s a lot of gray area right now, in terms of making decisions, who is on board with what, and what the future may hold.
In the end, Giroux ultimately held the keys to his destination. Florida was where he wanted to be. That left the Flyers limited in what they could get in return. If nothing else, the return in the Giroux deal is more of a reality of what the state of the Flyers is and remains after this trade, and the result of years of shortcomings by the organization.
Claude Giroux has appeared in every game since Jan. 13 and will take the ice for his 1,000th game in the NHL and in a Flyers uniform on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators. Prior to the game, the Flyers will hold a ceremony to honor Giroux’s milestone.
Since getting introduced as Special Assistant to the GM, Danny Briere is looking to make a name for himself. If this season continues to get worse, he might soon be in position to be Chuck Fletcher’s replacement.
One day after officially being named a special assistant to the general manager, Danny Briere met with the media on Wednesday morning to discuss the new role and how he factors into those plans.
