Since becoming the official general manager (GM) of the Philadelphia Flyers on May 11, 2023, Danny Briere has certainly made some splashes. He has acquired multiple first-round picks, traded away a disgruntled Cutter Gauthier for a young, high-end skill defender in Jamie Drysdale, and drafted the future face of the franchise in Matvei Michkov. In such a short period of time, “Mr. Playoffs” has made a lasting impact.
While the Flyers have made progress, they still have their work cut out for them. There is a lot that needs to be done, particularly on the talent front; head coach John Tortorella openly admitted it. Attaining this talent is much easier said than done, and therein lies the problem.
In order to truly take that next step in the rebuild, the Flyers are going to have to make sacrifices. Whether it be trading core players to try and acquire a top-end draft pick in 2025 or officially ending the rebuild by trading for a star, Philadelphia cannot afford to sit around and do nothing. This offseason, just like it was in 2023, will have to be full of moves.
The direction they take is irrelevant – how active they are is not. The Flyers have to make up their minds about what they truly want to be, otherwise their window to acquire game-changing talent will fade. Risks will be required to make that happen, and it could get ugly.
A Repeat of the 2023-24 Season Won’t Be Worthwhile
Objectively speaking, the Fyers’ 2023-24 campaign was a good one in terms of progress. Younger players like Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Cam York, and Sam Ersson all had important roles with the team. In addition, 25-year-old Owen Tippett established himself as a core player, signing an eight-year extension.
For as good as almost making the playoffs was, it is not an area where the Flyers will want to find themselves in 2024-25 and beyond. Being on the bubble is exactly where the Flyers were throughout most of the 2010s, and it was the most dreadful era in franchise history. They were never bad enough to get a top prospect, but never good enough to make a run for the Stanley Cup. This direction will likely have to change unless Briere wants to repeat history.
If the Flyers choose not to move the needle either one way or the other, they could be stuck in this purgatory again. They likely won’t see notable progress unless they acquire a star, which is easiest to do by obtaining high draft picks.
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