97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: Danny Briere’s Revealing Comments
The NHL offseason awaits as the Florida Panthers have jumped out to a lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Danny Briere, meanwhile, has already dropped key indicators about his offseason plans for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Danny Briere on Offseason Plans
Keith Jones tempered expectations for the 2024-25 Flyers during his media availability on June 5.
“I think the one indicator on the timeline that’s out there for everyone to see is the money that we have tied up right now for players that aren’t playing for our team. A lot of that is going to start to come off of the cap, and I do think that if you’re looking further down the line, that is where we’re going to have some real key decisions to make.” -Keith Jones
Kevin Hayes and Tony DeAngelo will both cost the Flyers dead cap money next season. Ryan Johansen, Cal Petersen, and Ryan Ellis will all make legitimate money, but none are likely to appear in a regular-season game.
The cap conversation pushed fans to believe the Flyers won’t make major moves in free agency, although Jones didn’t directly address it.
Danny Briere took things one step further in comments to The Athletic.
“I would say don’t expect much movement from us, as far as free agency,… but you know, we’re always open to hockey trades if there’s something that makes sense to help our team, both in the future but also in the short term if it fits our timeline.” -Danny Briere
NHL executives will rarely discount offseason options. Briere left the door open for potential changes. However, the Flyers find themselves in an unusual spot in their rebuild.
A lack of cap flexibility, a minimal amount of prospects ready to make an NHL impact, and the expected progression of Metropolitan Division opponents strongly impact the outlook on the 2024-25 season. These key indicators suggest that the on-ice product during year two of the rebuild might not be as competitive as in year one.
NHL 4 Nations Faceoff
The NHL officially announced dates and host cities for 2025 4 Nations Faceoff. Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden will play round-robin games in Montreal and Boston in the first competitive international best-on-best competition since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.
A rebuilding team like the Flyers without the best high-end skill players likely won’t send many representatives. However, look out for sleepers with a chance to earn a roster spot.
Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster, and Owen Tippett will play key offensive roles for the Flyers in 2024-2025. However, a loaded Canadian talent pool means they’ll have to break down the door with outstanding offensive numbers in the first half of the regular season to draw consideration.
Joel Farabee and Cam York face similar circumstances considering the competitive talent pool pushing for spots on Team USA.
Related Content: Reevaluating The Flyers Rebuild After The 2023-24 Season
Samuel Ersson represented Team Sweden at the IIHF World Championship in Czechia this spring. However, he faces tough competition to land playing time in the crease against Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames, Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins, and Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild.
Rasmus Ristolainen (if he survives the offseason in Philadelphia), could be attractive for the Finns as a bruiser playing a depth role on the blue line.
Some media roster projections for international tournaments operate with an All-Star team lens. However, team general managers select role players more deliberately. Flyers fans might see their only representative skating for Team Finland.
97.5 The Fanatic will analyze draft prospects, free agent targets, and potential trade options for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2024 offseason.
The All-Time Roster of Underrated Philadelphia Flyers
Mike Knuble
Peter Forsberg and Simon Gagne were the stars at the top of the lineup coming out of the 2004-05 lockout. However, there are three players on an NHL line.
Mike Knuble spent four seasons with the Flyers from 2005-06 through 2008-09, and he returned for a cup of coffee in 2013. He provided the perfect complement to a crafty playmaker like Forsberg and a finesse star like Gagne. He scored a career-high 34 goals in his first season in Philadelphia and followed it up with 24, 29, and 27 goals in the next three seasons, respectively.
Knuble knew his role as a garbage goal-scorer, and he played it damn well. He added 14 points in 24 playoff games with the Flyers, including an overtime game-winning goal against the Washington Capitals in 2008.
Kimmo Timonen
The NHL still associates the Broad Street Bullies mentality with the Flyers. Players like Chris Pronger feed into the identity of the fan base. The 6-foot-6 defenseman resonated with the fans perfectly as a fearless, powerful defenseman who became the workhorse on the Philadelphia blue line during the run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
Kimmo Timonen didn’t have the same reputation. The Finnish puck mover was more of a classy guy off the ice who didn’t bring as much grit as Pronger, but he actually had a longer run as the top blueliner in Philadelphia.
The Flyers acquired Timonen as part of a series of trades with the Nashville Predators that pulled them out of the disaster of the 2006-07 season. He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time in each of his seven playoff series wins with the Flyers. Only Mark Howe and Eric Desjardins scored more points among defensemen in franchise history.
Dan McGillis
Hockey in the late 1990s and early 2000s required more physical defensemen while modern roster construction prioritizes puck movers on the blue line. The Flyers acquired 6-foot-3, 220-pounder Dan McGillis in 1998 during a window of Stanley Cup contention.
McGillis played 380 regular-season and playoff games in orange and black. He was the physical presence a contending team needed, but you won’t see his name in the franchise record books too often.
Stay-at-home defensemen are harder to glorify than offensive catalysts. McGillis recorded a career-high 49 points in 2000-01, and it’s no coincidence that it was the only one of his nine NHL seasons when he received Norris Trophy votes.
Steve Mason
Anyone who follows the Flyers knows the notorious reputation of the “Goalie Graveyard” in Philadelphia. The revolving door of goaltenders reached its peak with the Ilya Bryzgalov nightmare that ended in 2013, right around the time the Flyers really started to lose popularity in the Philadelphia sports landscape.
Coincidentally, the Flyers acquired Steve Mason in 2013. He spent four seasons as the top option between the pipes for forgettable Flyers teams that never won a playoff series.
Mason wasn’t some Vezina Trophy winner who would reverse the “Goalie Graveyard” narrative. He was never going to demand the attention of casual hockey fans in Philadelphia who were only interested in a contending team, but he was the type of solid goaltender for a good period of time that the Flyers haven’t usually had.
Daymond Langkow
It’s tough to identify any reason why Daymond Langkow is underrated. Like Joffrey Lupul and Sami Kapanen, he doesn’t seem to come up in conversations about the Flyers too often. The NHL journeyman notched at least 50 points in each of his two full regular seasons in Philadelphia.
He helped the Flyers advance to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final in 2000 with 10 points in 16 games during the playoff run.
The Daymond Langkow trade tree had remarkable ripple effects on the franchise. The return package acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes in 2001 indirectly led to the acquisitions of Jeff Carter, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Jason Smith, Joffrey Lupul, and Chris Pronger.
