Photo Credit: Getty Images
This morning the Philadelphia Flyers posted on social media that we are entering a “New Era of Orange”. Shortly after, the team announced two big positions have been filled, and fans were surprised.
Danny Briere, former Flyer, has been named general manager. Briere was previously filling in as Interim General Manager before his interim title was removed. Prior to this role with the Flyers, he was the President of the ECHL Maine Mariners.
The other big position that has been filled is Keith Jones as the President of Hockey Operations.
Jones is a well known broadcaster in the NHL. He’s been a voice of the Flyers organization for years, as well as, being a former NHL player. Though he doesn’t have the direct hockey operations experience, I don’t doubt that his skills will translate to the management world.
The faith that has been placed in Briere and Jones by Comcast Spectacor CEO, Dan Hilferty, is nothing to bat an eye at. Hilferty was named CEO of Comcast Spectacor in February 2023.
Flyers fans are itching to see how this will unfold in the coming years, but will expect some direct results. All eyes will be on them at the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft at the end of June.
The NHL has a habit of re-using the same big name general managers whenever there’s an opening, rarely do you hear of a fresh face with no NHL experience coming to the show. The same goes with Jones’ position as director of hockey operations. His skills as a national broadcaster and previous NHL player will come into play, but he has never been in this position before.
The recent moves made with these new faces really show that they want to see change. This may be the way to break out of the monotonous cycle the Flyers have been in for years. We may be witnessing the New Era of Orange.
They could’ve hired me. What are the duties of the President of Hockey Operations and how does Keith Jones qualify. This is troubling considering Briere is a rookie gm.