Welcome to RANKED. Each week we will be ranking players, moments and anything else we can think of, hockey or not. This week, with the NHL’s trade deadline in the rearview mirror, we are looking back at Danny Briere’s moves since taking over as Flyers general manager, and ranking them.
The Philadelphia Flyers have had a few different visions over the past decade-plus. Paul Holmgren was in it to win it every year, even if that meant sneaking into the playoffs while mortgaging the future. Ron Hextall went the opposite direction with a drawn-out rebuild that came up empty. The Flyers then zagged back to an “aggressive retool” under Chuck Fletcher, which set the organization back a few years.
But after firing Fletcher just over one calendar year ago, the Flyers made their vision clear. Danny Briere as general manager and Keith Jones as president of hockey operations ushered in a New Era of Orange with head coach John Tortorella forming the triumvirate.
Briere’s tenure in Philadelphia has been a massive success so far — well, as successful as a rebuild can be in less than 12 months. He’s cleared out some of the dead weight, set a firm, transparent plan in place, and kept the rebuild going at the deadline despite the Flyers being comfortably in the playoff race.
Let’s take a look at almost all of Briere’s moves since taking over as general manager: trades, free-agent signings, the draft, and one RFA signing to boot.
Tier 4: Sure, why not?
20) Marc Staal UFA – 1 year, $1.1M
Sure, Marc Staal has been fine for the Flyers. But did Briere really need to sign him? The Flyers already had enough left-handed defensemen (Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Nick Seeler, Egor Zamula) to fill out the roster with a few more in Lehigh Valley.
It says a lot that Briere’s “worst” move can be viewed more or less as a wash. Ultimately, Staal has been able to provide some veteran presence and Tortorella hasn’t been afraid to stick him in the press box. Also, Briere gets a bit of a pass on this one as Staal seems more like a Torts signing anyway.
19) Victor Mete UFA – 1 year, $775,000
Mete joined the Flyers a few days after Staal signed, and it looked like he may push for some playing time in the NHL this year. That hasn’t been the case, though, with just one NHL appearance this season. The journeyman blueliner seems to be a AAA player at this point in his career despite having some upside early on.
Signing Mete was a decent low-risk move by Briere for less than $1 million but hasn’t had much of an impact.
18) Rhett Gardner UFA – 2 years, $1.55M ($775K AAV)
Gardner is another one of these meh signings. He also got a look for one game with the Flyers this season but has largely been playing down in Lehigh Valley.
Could this be his worst move? Sure, but there is very little separating these largely unconsequential signings.
17) Louie Belpedio UFA – 2 years, $1.55M ($775K AAV)
Would you believe me if I told you that Belpedio almost has many games as a Flyer as Jamie Drysdale? Louie “Louis” Belpedio filled in admirably at the beginning of the year for the injured Rasmus Ristolainen. The 27-year-old defenseman even put up two goals and two assists in his dozen NHL games this year.
Belpedio was a full-timer for the Phantoms last season with 70 games played but has battled some injuries this season, limiting him to 23 AHL games on top of his 12 in the NHL.
16) Noah Hanifin retention broker
With the Flyers only using one of their retention slots at the time, Briere swooped in as a third-party broker between the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights for the Noah Hanifin trade. The Flyers retained 50% of Hanifin’s contract ($2.475M) for the price of Vegas’ fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.
15) Kevin Hayes trade
One of the first items atop Briere’s list when he took over last year was addition by subtraction. Kevin Hayes and his albatross of a contract needed to be moved, and rather than buy out the disgruntled forward, Briere was able to get a sixth-round pick in 2024 from the Blues while retaining 50% of his salary.
The Flyers will still be on the hook for just over $3.5M per year through 2026. But that’s a lot better than the potential buyout penalty, which would’ve hurt the Flyers when they’re trying to actually compete.
Tier 3: This could be something
14) Erik Johnson trade
Briere was backed into a bit of a corner at the deadline with the Flyers’ three top right-handed defensemen either injured (Ristolainen and Drysdale) or traded (Walker). He went out and got the veteran defenseman for a fourth-round pick.
Adding a bit of a veteran presence who Briere knows fairly well should help the Flyers down the stretch. And although the value of a playoff run (and likely appearance) for a young, growing locker room can’t be measured, it certainly can’t hurt.
13) Nick Seeler extension – 4 years, $10.8M ($2.7M AAV)
We’re getting a little spicy with this one. The Seeler extension was a polarizing one and I wouldn’t fault anyone for ranking it drastically different. But this is my ranking and I have it here at number 13.
Is having Nick Seeler around for the next few years good for the rebuild? Probably. Could the Flyers have picked up a draft pick or two for him at the deadline? Probably.
Ultimately, the Flyers are preaching the importance of culture and perhaps no one personifies that more than Seeler.
12) Carson Bjarnason trade
The Flyers traded up to grab goaltender Carson Bjarnason with the 51st overall pick in last year’s draft. They gave up the Kings’ second-round pick in 2024 and their own sixth-round pick last year (used to draft Milton Oscarson) to get their guy between the pipes.
The Kings pick is likely to be in the second half of the second round this year and Bjarnason has had a solid year in juniors. He is 22-16-4 with a 3.01 GAA and .908 SV% after going 21-19-5 with a 3.08 GAA and .900 SV% last year.
To be frank, I wasn’t quite sure where or how to rank this trade, but you can never go wrong with goalie depth, especially in Philadelphia.
11) Denis Gurianov trade
This is still pretty much an unknown, but picking up a player with NHL experience — and playoff experience — like Gurianov for a castoff like Wade Allison is a win in my book. Gurianov had 103 points (46 goals) in 257 games with the Stars before struggling in Montreal and Nashville.
The career 9.2 percent shooter is only shooting 4.5 percent this season. He’s still relatively young at 26 years old and has speed for days. After finding Ryan Poehling last offseason, perhaps Gurianov can be a piece in the short-term for the rebuild.
10) Massimo Rizzo trade
The Flyers appeared to have a deal in place with the Carolina Hurricanes involving Tony DeAngelo, but Briere instead bought out the defenseman — after opening a second buyout window — with this trade being carried out almost a month later.
The Hurricanes and Flyers swapped signing rights to David Kase (to Carolina) and Massimo Rizzo (to Philadelphia), with the Orange and Black also receiving a 2025 fifth-round pick. The Flyers likely got eyes on Rizzo at the University of Denver when Bobby Brink was playing there, and Rizzo hasn’t disappointed.
After putting up 36 and 46 points in his first two years, he’s nearly matched that with 44 points in 28 games this season. Rizzo is a former seventh-round pick, so perhaps his ceiling isn’t too high, but he’s been impressive in college thus far.
Tier 2: Short-term building blocks
9) Ryan Poehling extension – 2 years, $3.8M ($1.9M AAV)
Briere picked up Poehling off the scrap heap (more on that later) and he’s been a great bottom-six center for the Flyers. The speedy Poehling has fit in nicely with the Flyers’ young group while providing a steady presence at 5-on-5 and the penalty kill.
He’s not going to be a game-changer but locking up Poehling for two more years at a reasonable $1.9M cap hit gives the Flyers their fourth-line center for the foreseeable future. While that may not seem too important, allowing up-and-coming prospects or young wingers to have someone like Poehling to play with on the fourth line rather than some of the dreck we’ve seen in recent years is refreshing.
8) Morgan Frost RFA – 2 years, $4.2M ($2.1M AAV)
It took until training camp but the Flyers got Frost signed to a rather fair deal on September 6th.
Frost infamously finished last season with 40 points in his final 54 games, but most of that damage came against lesser opponents and/or in meaningless games. He had 16 points in the final 16 games as well but the Flyers didn’t necessarily buy into that.
While Frost can be a middle-six center to build around, he appears to be what he is at this point. He has 33 points through 55 games this year and is just shy of 0.5 points per game in his career (102 points in 213 games).
Briere and the Flyers gave Frost a bridge deal rather than something longer term and it’s likely going to pay off for them whether he is a part of the future on the roster or in a trade.
7) Garnet Hathaway UFA – 2 years, $4.75M ($2.375M AAV)
I’ll admit, signing Hathaway seemed like an unnecessary move at the time. The Flyers have plenty of wingers that could fill that roster spot instead, but the gritty veteran has been a welcomed presence in the bottom six.
Hathaway has been a part of two strong checking lines for the Flyers this season, first with Poehling and Nic Deslauriers and now with Poehling and Noah Cates. The line has earned Tortorella’s trust and it’s working to the tune of a 66.4% expected goals share in 120 5-on-5 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.
Signing Hathaway added a veteran presence and showed that Philadelphia can be a destination for free agents, even in the early stages of a rebuild. The veteran likely could’ve taken a similar — albeit likely slightly cheaper — deal on a team with higher hopes than the Flyers, but Tortorella and Briere wanted someone like Hathaway in the room and the winger has been a human wrecking ball while chipping in offensively here and there.
6) Ryan Poehling UFA – 1 year, $1.4M
The Poehling extension was good but finding him in the offseason was even better. After spending time with the Canadiens and Penguins, Briere took a chance on the speedy center. It’s paid off in a big way with Poehling putting up career highs in points (21) and assists (13) while his next goal will tie his career-high of nine set back in the 2021-22 season.
The center has been a key cog for the Flyers both at 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill. Only Scott Laughton has seen more penalty-killing time than Poehling among Flyers forwards, and the newcomer leads the team with a 41.67% goals share while shorthanded.
Poehling was one of three players Briere signed on July 1st along with Gardner and Hathaway. Hathaway was the only one who we thought would make an NHL impact but Poehling has been one of the most consistent Flyers this season.
Tier 1: Franchise-altering potential
5) Owen Tippett extension – 8 years, $49.6M ($6.2M AAV)
Briere locked up Tippett amid a breakout season for the winger.
Tippett has gone from a castoff in Florida to a potential cornerstone for the Flyers. OK, that might be going a bit far, but Tippett has 23 goals and 39 points in 62 games. After putting up 49 points (27 goals) in 77 games last season, Tippett could turn into a player who regularly scores close to 30 goals with at least 50 points.
The 25-year-old winger should have his best days ahead of him and getting him under contract for the next eight years at just over $6M per year is a team-friendly deal for the Flyers, especially with the salary cap expected to rise in the coming years. Tippett can be a great building block for the Flyers as a staple in their top six.
4) Jamie Drysdale trade
Yes, this is the Jamie Drysdale trade, not the William Gauthier trade.
The Gauthier drama has been covered in detail, and then covered again, and then rehashed, so I’m not going to do that here.
The fact that Briere & Co. were able to keep the Gauthier situation under wraps, especially when they were having discussions with multiple front offices about the top prospect, speaks a lot to how this new Flyers regime is viewed around the league. It’s also important to note that there weren’t really any leaks about the deal while Briere was putting his fingerprints on the finishing touches of the trade.
It’s not very often that you see a top-five pick traded before he signs a professional contract, but it’s also not very often that a top prospect changes his tune and refuses to sign with the team that he was excited to be drafted by. The good news is that Briere was able to turn the fifth overall pick from 2022 into the sixth overall pick from 2020 while also getting a second-round pick in 2025.
Mind you, it can also be easily argued that a right-handed defenseman is a much more important (and sought-after) position than a scoring winger (whose shot may not transition well to the NHL level). You can find a winger via trade or in free agency. You can rarely get a defenseman with legitimate top-pair upside without paying through the nose.
Sure, there are some injury concerns with Drysdale, especially after another shoulder scare, but the defenseman hasn’t had the smoothest of transitions to the professional level in Anaheim. The 21-year-old defenseman (22 in April) has plenty of time to grow into his game with his new team, and he perfectly fits the timeline.
3) Sean Walker trade
Here is a complete list of players traded for a first-round pick at the deadline: Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, Adam Henrique, Noah Hanifin, Tomas Hertl, and Sean Walker. Yeah, the Flyers also had to take on Ryan Johansen’s contract while also giving up a fifth-round pick in 2026, but having to find a suitor for the veteran center or buying him out wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It also wouldn’t impact the Flyers’ window for when they’re actually trying to compete.
Walker was a hard-working soldier for the Flyers this season. Seeler can at least partially thank him for his big payday, and Flyers fans are thankful that he turned into a first-round pick. After being viewed in the offseason as more of a throw-in that could maybe fetch a third- or second-round pick if they’re lucky, Briere was able to turn Walker into a first-round pick in next year’s deeper draft.
2) 2023 NHL Draft
Briere made a few moves prior to the draft to set things in motion, but it was his first NHL Draft where he put his money where his mouth is by taking a big swing in the form of Matvei Michkov. The Mad Russian couldn’t come over to the NHL for a few years, but that’s perfectly fine given the Flyers’ timeline.
Michkov had 41 points (19 goals) in 47 games for a lackluster Sochi HC squad in the KHL this season. That’s the most points by a KHL player in the year after being drafted, topping Kirill Kaprizov (27), Evgeny Kuznetsov (32), and Eeli Tolvanen (36). The kid can play.
Oliver Bonk also looks to be a fantastic pick at 22nd overall with the right-handed defenseman giving the Flyers a top-level prospect at a position of need. He’s been incredible in the OHL with 64 points (24 goals) in 55 games for the London Knights.
Speaking of great OHL seasons, Denver Barkey (third round, 95th overall) is third in the league with 93 points (32 goals) in 59 games for those same London Knights.
Even just Bonk and Barkey becoming NHL contributors would make this draft a successful one for the Flyers. Add in Michkov and it gets put over the top.
1) Ivan Provorov trade
The Provorov trade will be looked back at as a masterclass by Briere. It was his first big move as Flyers GM and it’s already growing more branches.
The Flyers traded Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets via the Los Angeles Kings (along with Kevin Connauton and Hayden Hodgson to LA) and received a haul in return: Columbus’ 2023 first-round pick (Oliver Bonk) and 2024 (or 2025) second-round pick and Los Angeles’ second-round pick in 2024 along with Helge Grans, Cal Petersen, and Sean Walker.
While Petersen has disappointed in his few games and carries a $5M cap hit, he’s only signed through next season. The Flyers can deal with another year of Petersen in the AHL as a cap dump to garner a better return in the trade.
Briere has already turned Walker into another first-round pick, giving the Flyers a total of four picks in the first two rounds for Provorov.
One of Briere’s main focuses when he took over was getting the locker room right, even if that meant addition by subtraction. That certainly has been the case with Provorov, who has already been in trade rumors in Columbus.
Briere came in and made his best move (so far) right off the bat.
