Thursday morning it was Danny Briere’s turn to meet with the press at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. All week we’ve been hearing from the players, head coach Rick Tocchet, and now on the third consecutive day of “Break Up Day” it was time to wrap things up with a conversation featuring the General Manage Danny Briere.
Danny Briere
This has been Briere’s third full season in the position and he was very upbeat when sharing his thoughts on the team Thursday morning. He had a couple things he wanted to say before taking questions. “First of all is how impressed and proud I was of our players and coaching staff for the way they never quit”.
“This team has been known the last, even go back the last few years as a team that’s relentless about not quitting and they showed that again this year”. “The other part that I wanted to talk about is our fans”. He continued “What they did last game was truly, truly amazing and I wanted them to know our players took notice of that”.
It was a great tribute to the team and their valiant effort. I want to point out, the fans that showed up to that game were exactly the die-hard Flyers Fans that you want in a situation like that. Not everyone is up for going to watch their favorite hockey team possibly get swept out of a Stanley Cup Playoff round.
Ticket prices were dropping at the third party sellers after Game 3. The people that bought those tickets knew exactly what they may be walking into and they just wanted a chance to see and support their Flyers. Die-Hards are loud and loyal. They’re the cream of the crop. It truly was an amazing tribute that made every hockey fan in the city feel comforted and proud. Excellent sportsmanship from a true hockey town. Good work my friends.
The circumstances had to be just right for that awesome display of support to organically take place. Hopefully after seeing how much it hit home for people it will become a Philly hockey tradition.
Michkov
Of course Matvei Michkov was going to be part of the conversation, he’s a big part of the Flyers rebuild and to put it bluntly things did end on a bit of a sour note this season. However at the interviews everyone including Michkov has been positive about the situation.
He’s a 21 year old hockey player dealing with a new country and a language barrier trying to adapt to the most elite hockey league on the planet in a very passionate market with a ton of expectations. There may be a little pressure involved, to say the very least. Everyone is well aware of his ability to play the sport. The big question is can the organization get him to his potential ceiling without breaking him?
Everyone across the board wants things to work out. “Matvei is a great talent. We see him being part of the picture for years to come, that hasn’t changed”. It will be a relief for everyone involved to get this dreaded sophomore season out of the way.
Briere touched on a number of different subjects during the presser. To boil it down, He’s impressed with new head coach Rick Tocchet’s first season. He spoke of how goaltender Samuel Ersson battled back down the stretch after a rough start. He said they need to evaluate that situation. “He’s a great teammate, the guys love him. He’s been here a while we’ve invested a lot of years into him”
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The GM spoke very highly of Dan Vladar. “He could be the answer here hopefully for a few more years”. He also had a ton of positive things to say about the youth on this squad. Martone, Bump, Barkey, he said those guys got a shot and their play dictated them staying around. “It’s not like it was planned that way”.
Additions
Briere also addressed the fact that the organization is currently in a much better place with cap space and picks but they need to be prudent with their assets. They are being cautious not to make a deal just because they can. And to their credit that would in fact be a total waste of years worth of patience and sacrifice. It would be a travesty.
“Free agent guys are taking shorter deals for security. We though there’d be more guys, there’s actually less available for free-agency”. After all the time and austerity it took to get into a buyers position they can’t just settle for what’s available. It’s better to wait. They are in the right head space on this one.
With that Danny Brier stood up and said “Thanks for the year everybody, we’ll see you soon”. And that officially wraps up the Philadelphia Flyers 2025-26 season. A season that will hopefully be remembered as the first glimmer of the light at the end of a long dark tunnel.
Gratitude
I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who comes to the Flyers Nitty Gritty all season long, in good times and in bad, to hash out the comings and goings of the Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey team. I always enjoy bumping into you folks out at the arena or the training center and hearing your take on what’s going on with the team. Always say hello.
Thanks to the Flyers organization for their hospitality and access to the team, it’s always greatly appreciated. And of course to Jamey Baskow who is a real beauty to work with, as is the entire Nitty Gritty Team. See you at Dev Camp!
Extra Credit: The list of injuries the Flyers played through in the post-season is over the top. The physical game the Flyers put up against Pittsburgh was impressive but it did take its toll. Watching it play out you tend to focus on the nail but the hammer is also taking the impact. Jamey has a break-down of the injuries in the link below.
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