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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Revisiting GM Danny Briere's First Flyers Trade, 2 Years Later
Flyers prospect Helge Grans is expected to make a big impact in 2025. (Photo: Eric Hartline, Imagn Images) Philadelphia Flyers GM Danny Briere has seen and done it all during his brief time in charge of his former team, and his first piece of business is looking like his best so far. On June 6, 2023, two years ago yesterday, Briere made his first trade as the general manager of the Flyers, sending Ivan Provorov and Hayden Hodgson to the Los Angeles Kings (and then the Columbus Blue Jackets) in exchange for what would become Oliver Bonk, Helge Grans, the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Cal Petersen, and Carson Bjarnason. Advertisement Petersen's albatross contract has, of course, expired, leaving the Flyers with just the good stuff: a great goalie prospect in Bjarnason, an NHL-caliber defenseman with an elite toolkit in Grans, a promising potential top-four defender in Bonk, and a first-round pick that became much higher than expected as the fruits of the Sean Walker trade. In the last two years, Briere has swung his fair share of deals, like the Cutter Gauthier one that yielded Jamie Drysdale, and the other that offloaded Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost for diminishing returns. Bringing in Grans, Walker, and other draft picks has proven to be one of Briere's best moves so far, if not the very best. Flyers Coach Rick Tocchet Can Complete His Staff with This NHL Legend Flyers Coach Rick Tocchet Can Complete His Staff with This NHL Legend New Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet has made the first two additions to his coaching staff, but he still needs one more. How about an NHL legend who just left the Vancouver Canucks? Advertisement The 22nd pick in this year's draft, whether used on a prospect or traded for future-facing roster player, will assuredly aid the Flyers in taking the next step. With an extended opportunity at the start of the upcoming season, Grans, 23, could replace the older, more expensive, and oft-injured Rasmus Ristolainen, though he'll have to earn his place on the NHL roster. The same is true of Bonk, a back-to-back OHL champion and Memorial Cup winner who will be starting his professional career in the Flyers organization this fall. Provorov, since leaving Philadelphia, has scored a total of 65 points in Columbus while playing in all 82 regular season games two years in a row. Despite that, the Flyers' former top draft pick and his Blue Jackets have yet to make the playoffs. Advertisement For Briere, this trade was an easy win at the time and is looking even better with the time that has already passed. The future will decide what happens next, but the Flyers have all the pieces in place to take multiple successful steps forward on the backs of the assets they acquired in Briere's first deal as Flyers GM.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Rick Tocchet, Flyers are a natural fit, but not for the reasons you might assume
It's an established pattern in the NHL — teams rotating through the same inventory of coaches over and over, in the hopes that the experience they have gained in their previous stops will help them to immediately get off on the right foot in their new locales. Rick Tocchet, 61, is now firmly one of them. The Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday became the fourth organization to employ him as a head coach, after he previously paced behind the benches of the Tampa Bay Lightning for nearly two full seasons, the Arizona Coyotes for four seasons and the Vancouver Canucks for two and a half seasons. Advertisement The standard complaints about a team recycling a coach are predictable, and may even have some merit. Tocchet has never made it out of the second round of the playoffs, and some questions need to be asked about how the Canucks went from one of the league's best teams in 2023-24 under Tocchet to missing the playoffs this season. Still, it always felt like Tocchet and the Flyers were a natural fit. That's not because he once played for the team, something that is still an immediate turn-off for a portion of the fan base. The fact is, even if Tocchet had never been drafted by or skated for the Flyers, he would have been a strong contender for the job. Such is the respect he has around the league, both as a coach and a man, including from Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones. There's a reason he reportedly also was pursued by teams such as the Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken for their coaching vacancies. No, this is a fit for another reason entirely: It brings more stability to both the Flyers franchise, and to Tocchet himself. From a franchise perspective, the Flyers' attempt at reestablishing themselves as one of the league's premier teams is still an ongoing process. The past two seasons under general manager Daniel Briere have been about setting a certain standard and culture, while also attempting to build for the future by dealing away popular and still effective players. They're two years into what was always going to be a three-year process. But Briere also has said that being in the mix for a playoff spot in 2025-26 should be the aim. That will be no easy task after the Flyers finished with the fourth-worst record in the NHL this season, although Briere has also said he doesn't believe the team was as poor as that record would indicate. Perhaps there's some merit there — if the Flyers hadn't routinely played two backup goalies that weren't anything close to NHL-caliber, had kept their roster intact rather than trading key pieces away, and had a coaching staff that knew what it was doing on the power play — something Tocchet excels at — they probably would have had at least 10 or 12 more points in the standings. Advertisement Still, while it's likely that the Flyers will make at least one or two notable moves this offseason, the 2026 offseason is shaping up as the more important one. By this time next year, the Flyers will be free of most of the dead money they're carrying on the salary cap, and will look to start adding big-name, big-money players in free agency, or in trades for players who might have trade protection. If they're going to accomplish that, it's going to take more than just having salary-cap space and being prepared to write a massive check or two. They're going to have to be viewed as a franchise that's again on the upswing, and, therefore, as a desirable place to play. In other words, stable. And Tocchet, as the most experienced coach still available, gives the Flyers the best chance to achieve that stability. Not only will he be instantly respected in the Flyers' dressing room, but some of the game's biggest stars that have been coached by him, have high praise for him. Sidney Crosby, who had Tocchet as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh during two Stanley Cup-winning seasons, is one, as is Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes. No doubt other star-level players know that, too — perhaps even a few who might be looking for new homes in less than 14 months. Jones said in a statement: 'We are thrilled to have Rick lead our team into the future. What is impressive about Rick is that players gravitate towards him and develop a strong relationship in the process. There is a genuine trust that he will do everything he can to bring success to the team.' On some levels, Tocchet and former coach John Tortorella have a few similarities. They are both viewed as more 'old school' in their approaches, whether that's a defense-first mentality, which brings with it the risk of stifling offensive players, or, perhaps, being a bit too demanding and rigid in their instructions. But that isn't something that would be a turnoff for the Flyers' brass. Yes, it was an ugly ending to the Tortorella marriage in March. But prior to those final few weeks, it was evident in the moves that Briere made that he respected Tortorella's decisions with the roster, including the way that the coach handled rookie Matvei Michkov. Advertisement In terms of evaluating Tocchet, some young players, such as Clayton Keller in Arizona and Elias Pettersson in Vancouver, are two high-end talents who perhaps didn't respond to the coach's methods. But what Tocchet will inevitably do better than Tortorella is communicate with his players when issues arise. There aren't likely to be any situations like there were with Sean Couturier and Cam York telling reporters they had no idea why they were getting healthy-scratched by Tortorella, for example. Tocchet, it's been reported, wasn't necessarily looking to jump back into coaching right away after parting ways with the Canucks last month. When he popped up on the TNT panel again last week, there was speculation he'd be back there on a full-time basis again soon, trading playful barbs with Liam McHugh and Paul Bissonnette. But the Flyers' job offers him the sort of stability he hasn't had in the past. His first job as a head coach, in Tampa Bay, came before that team was purchased by Jeff Vinik. He replaced Barry Melrose after just 16 games, and was let go after the ownership change resulted in an entirely new regime. The Coyotes, of course, were never a stable franchise, and finally relocated to Utah about a year ago. When Tocchet was in charge, they were still routinely trading for dead money just to reach the salary-cap floor. It's tough to offer a fair evaluation of a head coach in those circumstances. Vancouver probably seemed like a good situation at first, with a talented roster in a rabid, Canadian hockey market. But after one successful season, 2024-25 devolved into a dysfunctional mess, including a rift between Pettersson and J.T. Miller that resulted in the trade of the latter to the New York Rangers. How much blame Tocchet bears for what went down there this season is difficult to ascertain, but the Canucks were hoping to keep him around before there was an amicable split. Surely, Briere, Jones and team governor Dan Hilferty all convinced Tocchet that the Flyers of now aren't the same as the Flyers of five years ago, when Chuck Fletcher, Dave Scott and Valerie Camillo were running things into the ground, and when Tocchet interviewed for the job that eventually went to Tortorella. There is a now clear direction and a plan in place, along with Comcast's deep pockets. Advertisement Whether the franchise is being steered in the correct way is something that Tocchet will now help to determine. But at the very least, his hiring, and the level of comfort it likely brings everyone involved, allows the organization to continue down the path it has already set without veering off in an entirely different direction.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Philadelphia Flyers hire Rick Tocchet as head coach
Danny Briere has made his first head coaching hire as Philadelphia Flyers general manager, and it's a familiar face. The Flyers named Rick Tocchet as their next head coach, the team announced Wednesday. Tocchet is well-known to Flyers fans, having played 11 of his 18 NHL seasons with the team. He was a teammate in Philadelphia with Flyers president Keith Jones and played with Briere with the Coyotes. He was inducted into the Flyers' Hall of Fame in 2021. He spent years serving as a Flyers analyst on NBC Sports Philadelphia. "I am very happy to welcome Rick Tocchet as our head coach," Briere said in a statement. "During this process, it became clear that Rick was the absolute right coach to lead our team. He has enjoyed the highest level of success both as a player and coach. Rick's ability to teach and understand his players, combined with his passion for winning, brings out the best in young players at different stages of their development and has earned the respect and confidence of highly talented All-Stars and veteran players alike." Tocchet, 61, comes back to Philadelphia after serving the past three seasons as the Vancouver Canucks head coach. The Canucks declined Tocchet's option for next season, but reportedly offered him a new contract to stay. He opted to leave Vancouver to come home to Philadelphia. "Family is a priority, and with my contract lapsing, this becomes the opportune time," Tocchet said in a statement on April 29. "While I don't know where I'm headed, or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey." The Canucks were 108-65-27 in Tocchet's three seasons as head coach. He won the Jack Adams Award for guiding Vancouver to a 50-win season in 2024 before losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. The club finished 38-30-14 and missed the playoffs last season. In his nine-year coaching career, Tocchet also led the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Arizona Coyotes. "I've always been a Flyer at heart and have taken that passion and energy that embodies this city and organization with me throughout my career," Tocchet said in the team's announcement. "I couldn't be more excited to lead this team back among the NHL elite where we belong. We have a lot of work to do and much to accomplish, but I am confident in the direction we are heading and determined to get us there." How did the Philadelphia Flyers get here? The John Tortorella era in Philadelphia came to an end earlier than anticipated. The Flyers took a considerable step back in their third season under Tortorella, leading to the club firing him with nine games left on March 27. In firing Tortorella, Briere praised the 65-year-old for the culture he helped establish and for his role in setting a high standard in the locker room. However, Briere also hinted that several things were happening behind the scenes that contributed to Tortorella's departure, including his comments after a loss in Toronto two days before his dismissal. "It's one of the things that happened along the way," Briere said in March. "That's not the specific reason, and there's not one specific reason. It's one of the things that has happened along the way. There's been different ones. Don't just focus on that." After taking a step forward in Year 2 under Tortorella, even flirting with a playoff berth, the Flyers regressed significantly in the 2024-25 campaign. At the time of Tortorella's firing, the orange and black were 28-36-9 and had lost 12 of their previous 14 games. They finished strong under interim head coach Brad Shaw, winning five of their final nine games. The club finished the season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, tied with the Boston Bruins with 76 points. "It's no secret that last year we probably overachieved from what the expectations were. This year, we underachieved. I still feel like we're a much better team and much closer than where we finished in the standings," Briere said at the team's breakout day. "I've always said the players would dictate that. There are guys who really took a big step forward. There are a few guys who regressed. I don't think we're that far off. I think we're at a stage now where we're going to shift a little bit from subtracting from the roster into trying to start to add and help the team." Will Brad Shaw remain on the Flyers' coaching staff? On April 23, the Flyers announced changes to their coaching staff, parting ways with assistant coaches Rocky Thompson, Angelo Ricci and Darryl Williams. Two coaches not included in the changes were Shaw and goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh. Shaw and Dillabaugh could still end up leaving as part of the new coaching staff, but the Flyers' retention of both indicates that the front office would like to keep them. Before taking over as interim head coach, Shaw's main responsibility as assistant coach was overseeing the Flyers' defense. Several defensemen have taken steps over the past few years under Shaw's tutelage, and they've sung praises for Shaw. When the Flyers fired Tortorella, they were in the midst of a six-game losing streak and losing 12 of their previous 14 games. In nine games with Shaw as interim head coach, the Flyers' on-ice product turned around. Philadelphia finished the season 5-3-1, averaging four goals per game in its nine games under Shaw. "He did a really good job [as interim head coach]," Briere said at the team's breakout day. "It was kind of a different approach than Torts had, and some guys really stepped up and seemed like they were a little freer." During the Flyers' breakout day, Briere said the team would consider Shaw as the head coach. Ultimately, the Flyers decided on Tocchet instead. It's unclear at this time if Shaw will remain on the Flyers' coaching staff.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Friday 'Flash Pan': The Tragedy of Michel Briere
We've been bringing you some "blast-from-the-past" series about current and former Pittsburgh Penguins, including "Forgotten Penguins", "Throwback Thursday", and "Best Penguins by Jersey Number." But perhaps lost in Penguins history along the way are some players who - for only a blink of an eye - shined brightly then either burned out just as quickly or had their career cut short. Advertisement And for this installment of "Friday Flash Pan," we revisit the all-too-short one-year career of someone who shined very brightly for one season before tragedy struck. Today, we look back on the greatness of Michel Briere - his number, 21, one of only three hanging in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena today. © Photo Archives La Presse © Photo Archives La Presse Briere was born on October 21, 1949, in Malartic, Quebec, and his pre-NHL career turned the head of a Penguins' scout. He played junior hockey for the Shawinigan Bruins in the now-defunct Quebec Junior A Hockey League (QAJHL) - predecessor to the QMJHL - and during his tenure there, he registered a whopping 129 goals and 320 points in just 105 games. Advertisement For reference: The next-closest player to Briere in the QAJHL record books? Guy LaFleur at 90 goals and 161 points. So when the Penguins drafted Briere in 1969, they knew what kind of player they were getting. And Briere didn't disappoint: In his rookie season - what ended up being his only season - the centerman scored 12 goals and registered 44 points in 76 regular season games, as well as five goals and eight points in 10 playoff games, and helped lead the Penguins two games shy of the 1970 Stanley Cup Final. All of this was only supposed to be the beginning of a long career in Pittsburgh. However, fate had something else in mind. On May 15, 1970, Briere was involved in a car accident with two of his friends in Quebec. He sustained major head injuries, had four brain surgeries, and slipped into a coma. Advertisement Briere died 11 months later on April 13, 1971. For the entire 1970-71 season, then-Penguins' equipment manager and trainer Ken Carson carried Briere's equipment bag and jersey everywhere with the team. Even after his tragic death, his legacy resonated. No one wore 21 after Briere did, and finally, on January 5, 2001, the Penguins retired his number to the rafters. Michel's only son, Martin, carries on his father's legacy with the Penguins and was present for Jaromir Jagr's jersey retirement ceremony on February 18, 2024. Briere's short but bright stint of hockey brilliance may have only been a flash in a pan, but his legacy will live on in Pittsburgh hockey history forever. Related: Friday 'Flash Pan': The Curious Case of Warren Young Related: Forgotten Penguins Players: Derek Sanderson Related: Best Penguins by Jersey Number: #18
New York Times
19-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Flyers' Matvei Michkov dissatisfied with rookie season, even if no one else is
VOORHEES, N.J. — Matvei Michkov was Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere's first appointment on Saturday morning. The 20-year-old winger, two days after the conclusion of his rookie season, showed up with a detailed agenda. 'I was actually shocked by how prepared he was for his meeting, and he knew exactly what he needed to do, and how he wants to conduct himself this summer,' Briere said. Advertisement 'He's got a different mind. It's part of the reason that makes him who he is. He was telling me all the things that he learned this year, and I was amazed. Usually you don't expect that from a 20-year-old. … I left the meeting laughing to myself — if he accomplishes half of the things he has on his list to do, we're in really good shape.' The most encouraging aspect of the Flyers' generally disappointing 2024-25 season is easy to identify. The 20-year-old Michkov not only exceeded expectations, with an NHL-rookie leading 26 goals and 63 points, tied for second for the rookie scoring lead with Macklin Celebrini, but he stoically handled the sometimes harsh coaching tactics of John Tortorella while seamlessly walking into a tight-knit dressing room and earning the respect of everyone around him. One player who seemed to form a bond fairly quickly with Michkov was Travis Konecny, who was frequently seated near Michkov on the road and was often seen carousing with the Russian native, who was seemingly able to communicate with those around him despite not having a firm grip on the English language just yet. Konecny, now the heart and soul of the team, came to realize that Michkov doesn't just want to become an important cog on the still-building Flyers. He wants to be thought of as one of the league's best. And Konecny, whose eight-year extension begins next season, seems invigorated by that. 'He's probably the one guy that I played with in my career that, he wants to be the best player in the NHL. He believes that he can be,' Konecny said. 'You can't teach that, and that's just something that he wants, and he believes in. That's a powerful thing, you know? If he can continue to figure out how to play on both sides of the puck and help us win games that way too, he's a really big part of this.' Advertisement That sort of admiration Michkov already has from his teammates was part of what impressed Briere, too. 'Navigating an NHL dressing room is not easy, especially when you come in as a superstar, trying to fit into a group that's already kind of looking at you sideways like, 'OK, here's the savior coming in,'' Briere said. 'This is not an easy room, or any room, to walk into, and at the same time trying to keep his swagger. I'm so glad he went through that this year. I think he earned (his teammates') respect by how he carried himself.' Michkov stepped to the podium in the media room at the Flyers' training center with team staffer and interpreter Slava Kuznetsov on Saturday, shortly after his meeting with Briere concluded. It will be interesting to see whether Kuznetsov is necessary in such situations next season, as Michkov mentioned that mastering English was part of that offseason to-do list. For now, Michkov was able to convey through Kuznetsov what has both Briere and Konecny excited: he's anxious, and perhaps even a bit impatient, to improve. Training will be a part of it. Around the turn of the New Year, Michkov admitted to a Russian-language journalist that the grind of the season in which the schedule was condensed due to the 4 Nations break was wearing on him. He repeated that sentiment on Saturday. 'No (offseason) plans yet. The first is take a good rest,' said Michkov, who will spend some time back in Russia this summer. 'It was truly a hard season.' The relationship with Tortorella was often in the spotlight. When the coach either benched or scratched Michkov, as he did for two games in November, the young winger responded positively. Briere said before the season began that he was excited to have Michkov on the roster two years earlier than they expected for the chance to work with Tortorella, and he repeated on Saturday that 'learning from Torts and his staff' was beneficial for Michkov, in his view. Advertisement And, unlike a few of his teammates on Friday, Michkov suggested he was usually on the same page as Tortorella during what was their approximately seven months together. 'It was a pleasure to work with him,' Michkov said. 'I think he's one of my best coaches. He gave me a lot. I would listen to him all the time. I'm sure in the future it will help me out — not everything, but most of it.' Torts explains a few things to Michkov, thru Zamula — Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) October 10, 2024 Something that Michkov evidently didn't agree with was his ice time. It was noticeable that as soon as the change was made from Tortorella to interim coach Brad Shaw, Michkov's playing time increased from 16:19 per game to 19:36 for the final nine games. 'I don't like to play not enough minutes,' Michkov said. 'If I play more minutes, I will feel comfortable.' More playing time next season is inevitable. And judging from how Michkov is already preparing for the months ahead, more success and more production probably are inevitable, too. Those are his own expectations, at least. When asked how he felt about leading all NHL rookies in goals this season, Michkov said: 'Truthfully, there were moments in the season I could have scored a lot more,' he said. 'I was not very happy with my result.' He might be the only one. 'The stuff that he was able to do — I'll be honest, I didn't think he would score even 20 goals this year. I didn't think he would get to half-a-point a game,' Briere said. 'And there's so many facets of his game that are not quite there yet. It's really, really exciting what happened with him this year.' 'He wants to be the top scorer in the league,' Konecny said, 'and that's where his head is at.'
