On March 6, the Flyers found themselves six points out of a wildcard spot, and eight points back of the Islanders with two games in hand. Detroit were 10 points ahead of them. With just 67 points, Philadelphia had to overtake Washington, Columbus, and Ottawa just to get to the second wildcard position. They were a meddling 4-4-2 over their previous 10 games. And had Florida, Toronto, and New Jersey just two to three points back. At the time, many hoped the Flyers would end up sinking further, being the second worst team in the Eastern Conference and, thus, possibly getting some more lottery balls for the 2026 NHL Draft.
So, with the idea that the Flyers weren’t quite there, Flyers general manager Danny Briere had one of three options. He could strip the club down a bit further and sell, gaining some more draft picks and getting younger in the process. He could do the foolhardy thing and buy, trying to add pieces to what appeared to be a ridiculous idea of Philadelphia in a playoff chase. Instead, Briere essentially did nothing. He added nothing to the roster at the deadline via trade, essentially being in no man’s land as the Flyers appeared to be spinning their tires.
But in doing nothing, Briere is starting to look like a genius. Although circumstances have had a lot to do with it, Philadelphia now finds itself third in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points and are more likely than not making the playoffs. They’ve gained 23 points in the month since the deadline, sporting of of the league’s best records. And they now control their own destiny, something seemingly impossible to fathom two weeks ago. Had Briere made one more or one less move prior to the deadline, that might have made a monumental difference. It certainly would’ve severely hampered this current playoff hunt.
Looking back at what Briere did and didn’t do at trade deadline
At the time, Philadelphia were starting to plummet. But Briere was looking at the bigger picture. He realized there were a glut of wingers that he simply didn’t have the room or ice time for. So, he sent Bobby Brink to Minnesota for Wild prospect (and former first-rounder) David Jiricek. Brink’s departure for a swing on a once promising blueliner seemed a bit iffy to some who lauded Brink’s work ethic. However, Brink’s leaving opened up another slot for a winger on Philadelphia. Again, at the time a move that eased the log jam. Denver Barkey or Alex Bump could now get some more playing time, helping their development for the future. And later on, it made adding the game-changing Porter Martone to the lineup and even giving space for Tyson Foerster to make his return from injury.
Other than that, and aside from two minor league deals (including one with Minnesota, receiving Boris Katchouk), Philadelphia’s only other move was sending Nic Deslauriers to Carolina. Another winger (who was at the end of his Flyers stint) gone with nobody coming back to help now. The Flyers claimed Luke Glendening off of waivers on March 6, most likely as a means to replace Deslauriers with a depth forward who could take faceoffs and kill penalties.
The biggest piece Briere had at his disposal was defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. But when the price wasn’t met, Briere kept him. Had Briere lowered his asking price, Ristolainen isn’t here. The Flyers would’ve had picks in their pocket. Yet nobody to adequately pick up the slack without Philadelphia suffering in the standings. It’s a stretch to think this playoff push would’ve been as strong without Ristolainen being used as much as he’s been. He’s been holding up his end of the bargain, often just behind Travis Sanheim in time on ice.
What those deals enabled
With Deslauriers and Brink gone, and Glendening a waiver pick up, Philadelphia looked to be playing out the stretch. Briere said he thought the team could make a push, but he wasn’t going to help them much with short-term rentals. However, fate had other plans. On March 29, Porter Martone became a Flyer. Nobody knew what to expect from the NCAA phenom. Given how Michigan State was supposed to be in the Frozen Four, nobody even thought Martone would be available this early. Yet here he is, scoring his first NHL goal as an overtime game-winner on Sunday.
The Flyers were getting some offensive help. And youthful, blue-chip help! After grinding several road wins (including a possibly season-turning West Coast sweep over San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim), Philadelphia was heading down this stretch with some more ammo. Or at least a teaser of what was looming from the 2025 first-round pick. What was more remarkable than Martone’s arrival was the return of Tyson Foerster after four months. Foerster’s injury in December was considered season-ending. If he returned for a game or two at season’s end, with the club playing out the string of meaningless games, that would be a huge win for him personally. And a sign of things to come next season. Instead, Foerster has beefed up the Flyers offensive, and enabling every one of the 12 forwards to primarily find a bit more chemistry within their lines. Alex Bump and Matvei Michkov look good, Martone is looking good with Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak, and the trio of Foerster, Trevor Zegras, and Owen Tippett should be a nightmare for clubs the rest of the way. And certainly next season.
Indirectly, the additions enabled Sean Couturier to move to the wing on the fourth line. Couturier has been adapting well, using his body a lot more in limited minutes while finding some chemistry with Glendening and either Carl Grundstrom or Garnet Hathaway. That doesn’t mean Couturier will be on the wing the rest of his contract. It is food for thought this summer should Philadelphia find a Glendening-like depth center who can ease Couturier’s workload a bit more.
So, while it sounds ridiculous to suggest, in essence Danny Briere did nothing to add at the deadline, other than replace Brink and Deslauriers with Martone and Foerster. And it didn’t cost him anything! If he knew how it would play out, the Flyers should give him a lifetime contract now. As it stands, Briere didn’t make any rash or hasty decisions leading up to March 6. He didn’t tinker much with the personnel. Instead he just did some housekeeping. And while the forwards fell into his lap through different circumstances, his refusal to sell low on Ristolainen is now paying dividends, thus making the asking price perhaps a bit higher down the road.
While there’s been plenty of trades around the NHL’s annual trade deadline historically, it would be difficult to find a team who added two young impact players to their lineup for the stretch run, and parted with nothing to obtain them. It’s as hard to fathom as this current playoff push the Flyers find themselves in. But so far it seems to be working. By doing nothing, Briere has made everything possible.
