Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
The term “Rebuild” was not allowed to be used from the prior regime of the Flyers front office. From the former Board of Governor Dave Scott on down, the word “Rebuild”was like a curse word that wasn’t allowed to be used.
Enter Dan Hilferty, Keith Jones, and Danny Briere front office team that have collaborated to repair the relationship between the front office and fans. In doing so, all three throw around the word “Rebuild”, and use it loosely.
The good thing is they have shown good faith that this is indeed a rebuild with trading Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Yes one trade, one trade has made good on that pro.isd that the Flyers are enduring a rebuild. Now it’s time for Briere and company to finish the job.
Briere has little to no experience at the NHL level as an exec, but he is all too familiar with how to build a successful team through a proper rebuild, “From the time I started playing, I always saw myself more in the management role than a coach. I was always more interested in how teams were being built,” Briere said. “I probably started that when I was with Buffalo, Darcy Regier had an influence. Then I came here and saw how Paul Holmgren was building his team throughout my stay here. Then I went to Montreal with Marc Bergevin, followed there and we got to the Conference Final. I saw how Joe Sakic started his rebuild in Colorado. I was there early on when, probably the second year, maybe, of his rebuild, so I saw how he was doing it. I’ve always been studying that. That’s always an area that I was passionate about.”
Briere continues, “I was not doing it expecting to be a GM one day, but that was certainly something that I hoped that one day I’d have the chance to build my own team.”
Communication is one key to keeping the fans on your side. In the end, it’s still too far early to tell if this will improve, but they are off to a good start towards building that relationship, “We’ve said it before, I don’t want people around me that are just yes-men or yes-women. It’s including everybody. I want different opinions,” Briere said. “I want people to bring their own vision, and we’ll come up with the right answer.”
“With this leadership group in place, we’re going to do this right and together. If there’s one message that I want to send out today, especially to our most loyal fans, is that you have my full attention. It’s been an incredible honor to serve the last two months as the GM of the team, and the fact of the matter is that it’s only made me hungrier to turn this thing around. We are on our way already, and I consider it my highest duty to rebuild and restore this team to it’s winning ways for years to come. Thank you, and I look forward to this summer and the start of a new Flyers era. Thank you.”
How this will end is anyone’s guess, but it’s refreshing to hear these words by the Flyers top echelon. It’s a bit different from year’s past, but actions speak louder than words. Now it’s time for the team to go out and perform to the best of their abilities.
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You’re off to a great start. Please, please, please have the scouting department look at Andrew Cristall. This young man is amazing so please don’t let his size scare you off. Maybe trade back from seven pick up a second and take this kid.