5 Main Takeaways From Briere Press Conference

Danny Briere held a mid-season update press conference on Wednesday at the Flyers' practice facility.

On Jan. 24, Flyers GM Danny Briere held a press conference at the Flyers' practice facility to provide updates and insight on everything happening within the Flyers organization a little over halfway through the season. Here are the main points Briere made while speaking to the press. 

Before the media were permitted to start asking questions, Briere made a statement regarding the news regarding five members of the 2018 Canadian World Juniors team being told to surrender on charges of sexual assault, stemming from a lawsuit filed back in 2022. This news broke just about an hour before the press conference was scheduled to be held, and just a day after the Flyers announced that Carter Hart (the starting goalie for that Canadian team) had requested and been granted a leave of personal absence, citing "personal reasons." 

The five players involved have not been publicly identified as of right now, but there is rampant speculation that Hart is one of the suspects involved, seeing as his leave of absence comes at the same time as those of other players with suspected involvement. However, Briere made it abundantly clear that individual organizations would not be commenting further, and all questions regarding the allegations would be handled through the NHL. 

One of the main things Briere emphasized was how important it was for the organization to develop and grow as time goes on. Touching on his own personal experience, Briere said, “That’s why I signed as a free agent in 2007. I knew the Flyers were one of the best, if not the best, organization in the league. We’re trying to get back to that.”

He reiterated multiple times that all the focus of the Flyers was "on the future" and that, while veteran leadership of players like Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Marc Staal—among others—has been essential in helping the team grow, one of the main aspects of the rebuild vision is to develop the young players into a solid foundation that can "achieve Stanley Cup success in years to come."

With the trade deadline looming in March, Briere made it clear that while the entire organization obviously wants to build a team that can carry the team to sustained success, they're also going to be mindful of how bringing in new players will benefit the team in the long-term. 

With so much attention being paid to building up the Flyers' culture and reputation within the league, Briere highlighted how the front office has a specific vision for what they want that culture to look like and only wants to bring in people that will lift the team up beyond just winning Cups. (And, yes, he did make a joke about the Cutter Gauthier trade.) 

Briere admitted that he had some initial reservations when it came to John Tortorella and his coaching style. He said that his perception of Tortorella as a coach was like that of most people's, and wasn't sure if he would do what they wanted him to do in terms of developing the young players. However, since first arriving in 2022, Tortorella has exceeded expectations in how he's been able help the young guys—specifically mentioning Cam York—develop into "good pros."

On where he sees the core group of young players going even after Tortorella leaves, Briere said that they "haven't thought past" their current head coach yet, and that they expect to keep him around for quite a while. There is full confidence within the organization that Tortorella has cultivated a team that will succeed even after his time with the Flyers comes to an end, whenever that may be.

Still very much a newcomer to the business side of hockey, Briere has handled being the Flyers' general manger incredibly well. He inherited a team—his former team, where he was a beloved player, no less—that was in tatters. Guiding a team in the state the Flyers were in through a rebuild that currently sees them in playoff contention, while handling a midseason that was clickbaited to the ends of the Earth and now a player potentially being invovled in a serious criminal matter, Briere has been the picture of poise, grace, intelligence, and honesty. 

While it's evident that Briere wanted the focus to be on the team and not the Hockey Canada situation, he provided answers to the best of his ability, which was obviously incredibly limited due to the league's insistence that individual organizations not comment on the allegations. There is no questioning that Briere has the Flyers' best interests at heart, and promises an incredibly bright future for everyone associated with the Flyers.

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