Danny Brière is not afraid of the word “rebuild.”
Now that he’s in a position, as interim general manager, to speak publicly about the state of the Flyers, Brière made it clear in his introductory press conference that all the words ownership and his predecessor Chuck Fletcher used — “process,” “retool,” “getting younger” — equate to a rebuild.
Brière is more concerned about the varying expectations of what a “rebuild” is. Like Fletcher, Brière cautioned fans not to expect a “fire sale.”
“We have to be careful, and I want to make sure that rebuild doesn’t mean fire sale,” Brière said. “There’s a big difference between the two. I want to make that clear. We’re not going to get rid of everybody. We have some good players here.”
Brière has some strong beliefs about what needs to be done, coach John Tortorella said, and apparently a lot of those beliefs concern personnel. When asked about what he strongly feels needs to be done moving forward, Brière replied: “I’m not going to get into player’s names and stuff like that at this point.”
He said he can’t deny he has his “own way of seeing things” and his own opinions, but he wants to continue to gather more information from the coaches and staff. He emphasized the importance of the organization’s youth and said they won’t be who they’re “shopping,” but he also said no one is “untouchable.” Brière’s immediate focus will to be continuing his evaluation of what the team has in its players and prospects as well as preparing for the draft.
“The reality is, unfortunately, we’re not going to make the playoffs most likely this season,” Brière said. “We’re going to be positioned pretty well to add a key quality player for the future of this franchise. That’s going to be important the next couple months to send the proper people in the right place to see who’s out there. Make sure we make the right pick. That’s also going to be a key responsibility of my job.”
Brière is well-aware of the “interim” at the front of his title. There are currently two positions the Flyers are looking to fill following Fletcher’s firing. They’ve broken his role into general manager and president. Brière said he’d be happy to be under consideration for either, but his goal would to be continue as general manager.
Despite his inexperience — Brière has only worked in an official capacity for an NHL front office for a year — he has no doubt in his ability to succeed in the role. Brière has been in hockey for many years, and even as a player, he was paying attention to more than just the X’s and O’s. He observed general managers as much as his opponents. His career took him to both successful organizations and rebuilding teams, giving him a lot to learn from. Since he aspired to the role early, he was able to prepare in an unofficial capacity.
Following his retirement, Brière racked up experience by shadowing Paul Holmgren, leading the Maine Mariners and helping out the Flyers in any way he could. De facto captain Scott Laughton mentioned how Brière helps out in a lot of little ways that go a long way. Once Fletcher hired him as “special assistant to the general manager,” he got an inside look at the responsibilities of the role. He thanked Fletcher for giving him that opportunity.
Whether Brière wins the job or goes down in Flyers history as an interim general manager, he’s grateful for the position he’s currently in. As a longtime Flyer who’s come to call Philadelphia home, he said it’s a great honor.
“I love the Flyers,” Brière said. “I love the logo. I spent a lot of days, a lot of sweat, a lot of sacrifice here for this organization. ... To be honest with you, it’s something that will stay with me for a long, long time. This emotion of having that title is pretty special, to be honest.”
Brière doesn’t know the timeframe Comcast Spectacor is working on for filling the positions. He also hasn’t found out yet how many changes he’s allowed to make to the staff. However, he does foresee assistant general manager Brent Flahr staying on and helping him as the draft approaches. Brière also does not know what role the senior advisors like Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber and Holmgren will play moving forward. He said he has a lot of respect for them but has only had a quick chat with them so far.
Brière is headed to a meeting of the NHL general managers in Florida. From there, he will continue to observe and learn and try to prove the team owners should take “interim” out of his title.
