TORONTO -- Daniel Briere had barely made his way down from the Philadelphia Flyers' management box at Scotiabank Arena on Monday when he heard the whoops of celebration coming from inside their dressing room.
The Flyers had just defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in a shootout for their first three-game winning streak in 93 days, the previous one having come back on Nov. 26-29. The victory also brought Philadelphia (28-21-11) to within four points of the Boston Bruins for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
With the NHL Trade Deadline set for Friday at 3 p.m. ET, the Flyers general manager was asked if their game plan of focusing on the big picture had changed, especially since they’ve propelled themselves back into the the middle of the playoff race.
“Nope,” he said, sporting a big grin.
In other words, he’s not about to be wooed by the short-term gains to be had from rental players at the risk of straying from the plan of building for the future, playoff race or not.
Will the Flyers, then, be sellers, rather than buyers? Could defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, for one, be moved, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer?
Either way, defenseman Cam York said he would be fine if the team remains intact, especially considering the way they’re playing right now.
“Absolutely,” York said. “You know, our last three games have been really good. We know when we play our game we can be a really good team and a tough team to beat. So, yeah, it would be really nice.”
But is it realistic that the Flyers could stay pat?
In a 1-on-1 with NHL.com, Briere, without mentioning specific players, discussed the Flyers' general outlook heading into decision day on Friday.
In interviews with Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill and Utah Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong over the past few days, both predicted a lot of trades might not take place until the final day or two because so many teams feel they’re still in contention and don’t want to proclaim themselves as sellers yet. Do you feel the same way?
“Yeah, I think it feels that way at this point. We will see. I mean, we're in no rush to to make a decision. You know, what matters for us is obviously the future. We’re still building for the future.”
How does that translate into any moves you might potentially make?
“Listen, you know, I’m not saying we’re against improving the team if it makes sense both for now and in the future.”
It sounds like rental players are not part of the equation. Is that accurate?
“I think that’s very fair to say at this point.”
Have you ever seen the battle for playoff spots this close at the trade deadline, as some of your fellow GMs have alluded to?
“Yeah, it’s a little more tight in the races, but you’ve probably talked to GMs who’ve had a lot more experience than I’ve had as well. You know, it’s not like I’ve been around for a long long time in this position (Briere was hired as Flyers GM on May 11, 2023), but it seems to ramp up around this time every year. You see on Deadline day, that’s where most of the deals happen, and I don’t expect that to change in the near future.”
Heading into the Deadline, what’s your evaluation of your team right now at a time where every game, every win, every loss can mean bobbing and weaving up and down the standings?
“You try to stay even-keeled as much as possible. You learn that as a player, too. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low. But yeah, at some point we’re going to have to make a decision. We had a skid in late January, early February that kind of hurt us (Philadelphia went 3-8-4 from Jan. 8 to Feb. 5). We’re chasing teams now, which is tough. It’s not ideal. But our guys, that’s what I love about our group, we have a young team but we don’t quit. They keep coming at you. I don’t expect that to change.”
Understanding that you don’t want to specifically talk about players who might be coming in or going out this week, how about the trade that brought in 24-year-old forward Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks last summer? Is that what you’re referencing as building for the long-term future?
“Yeah, yeah. Trevor fit in to what we were doing, and obviously bringing us more higher skill, you know, it’s something we were looking for. So yeah, it was great to bring him in, but he fit the mold of what we were trying to do.”
Finally, how do you balance the hunger of the team’s potential first playoff appearance since 2020 with keeping an eye on the future?
“The goal is always to make the playoffs, but at the same time, we’re trying to build a team that’s going to become a contender for years to come. It’s not about making the playoffs one year then missing the next. We want to build a team that sustains it year after year. So, that’s why you have to be careful and look at the entire project for the future that way.”
