The Flyers hired Keith Jones as president of hockey operations and removed the interim label from general manager Danny Briere.
After the dismissal of Chuck Fletcher as general manager and president of hockey operations in March, big changes were destined to come for the Philadelphia Flyers' front office leadership this offseason.
Well, those changes are now officially taking shape.
Thursday morning, the Flyers announced the hiring of Keith Jones as their new president of hockey operations. They also announced Danny Briere will serve as the full-time general manager after being named interim GM following the firing of Fletcher.
Jones and Briere now join the new five-person leadership group — alongside head coach John Tortorella, Comcast Spectacor CEO Dan Hilferty, and president & CEO of Spectacor Sports & Entertainment Valerie Camillo — intent on bringing the Flyers back to relevance after years of mediocrity.
"Today is one of the most humble and proudest days of my life," said Jones in a statement released by the Flyers. "To be able to lead this team back to the winning tradition that everyone knows it can, and should be, is a true honor and one that I do not take lightly. I consider the Philadelphia Flyers organization the gold standard of the NHL and professional sports. I've seen how this city and these fans can rally around their team and there is nothing that compares to that feeling. With this leadership group in place, I am beyond excited and fully confident that we are on the right path and the results will come."
Jones, 54, should be no stranger to Flyers fans. Jones has been a longtime color commentator and analyst for NBC Sports Philadelphia's Flyers coverage. He also played 131 games for the Flyers over a three-season span from 1998-99 to 2000-01, logging 27 goals and 74 total points with the Orange & Black.
Briere, of course, was no slouch as a player for the Flyers either. Briere, 45, spent six seasons with the Flyers from 2007 to 2013. In 364 games as a Flyer, Briere logged 124 goals and 283 points and played a vital role on the 2009-10 squad that won the Eastern Conference title.
"I truly believe this is an exciting time for the Flyers with the steps that we've taken this past season, the way our team has responded to the standard that was set both on and off the ice, and the path that we are on," said Briere. "There is a lot of work to be done, but these last few months have only strengthened my resolve and made me even more eager to rebuild this team and deliver this city a Stanley Cup."
These changes are just the start for the Flyers as the club prepares to enter a critical period in its 56-year history. In March, Briere publicly declared a rebuild is on the horizon for the Flyers — an unprecedented declaration from a Flyers GM. And in his first press conference as interim GM, he didn't hesitate to admit the difficult truth.
The current state of the Flyers is not something that can be fixed overnight.
"It needs to be done the right way. At this point, I think that’s what’s needed, that’s what’s gonna be important moving forward. Not rushing to things," said Briere.
"We’re gonna keep evaluating players, we’ll have a lot of discussions in which direction we’re gonna move. But there’s no doubt that this is not a quick fix in my mind. I believe it’s gonna take a little while."
A new era is officially taking shape for the Flyers. Jones and Briere will be two of the key figureheads leading the charge, and it'll be rather shocking if other notable changes don't materialize this summer.
"I have full confidence that both Keith and Danny — together with Coach Tortorella, Valerie and me — are the right leadership team to guide the Philadelphia Flyers," said Hilferty. "We are unanimously committed to rebuilding and sustaining a winning culture — and doing it the right way."