3 Offseason Additions Paying Dividends For Danny Briere

Danny Briere didn’t make the biggest splashes of the 2025 NHL offseason. He instead brought in players on short-term contracts to patch holes for the Philadelphia Flyers in a transition season under first-year head coach Rick Tocchet.

Some analysts characterized the moves as stopgap solutions. However, Trevor Zegras, Dan Vladar, and Christian Dvorak have paid excellent early returns. The Flyers have leaned on offseason additions for two of their top three point scorers and their number one goaltender in 2025-26.

The Flyers have a more formidable roster in Tocchet’s first season without the backbreaking holes that handcuffed them during the John Tortorella era. They have realistic hopes to emerge in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture one quarter of the way through the season.

Hockey fans knew Zegras could flash with a “Dishigan” goal to land on a video game cover, but skepticism emerged about his all-around game by the end of his fifth NHL season with the Anaheim Ducks.

Questions swirled about his defense. Many doubted his willingness to aim higher than flashy highlight reels. Former NHL players even considered an issue of entitlement among young players drafted from the US National Team Development Program.

Zegras has executed early in the season with the creative puck skills that built his reputation as a dynamic offensive player. He leads the Flyers with 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) through 18 games.

Briere bought low. The immediate offensive production makes the package sent to Anaheim with Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick look like a steal. However, the most pleasant surprise from his early-season performance is the willingness to develop his all-around skill set to become a long-term piece of Philadelphia’s rebuild. 

Zegras riled up the Philadelphia crowd with an unexpected scrap in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins in October.

He’s held his own physically and avoided any detrimental weaknesses on defense that would significantly limit his ice time. He ranks in the top half of qualified NHL skaters in most major play-driving statistics.

His physical play wasn't the only focus of the perceived weaknesses. An attitude of willingness and determination characterizes the drive that helps NHL players succeed in the modern era almost as much as physical toughness. Tocchet has complimented Zegras’ improvement attacking the net instead of staying toward easier areas looking for flashy plays.

Zegras has helped Philadelphia’s power play climb out of the league’s basement and into respectability. He’s also scored on shootout attempts at the highest career rate in NHL history.

However, Briere acquired the 24-year-old with ideal hopes he’d play center. Tocchet has limited Zegras to the wing early in the season. Dvorak’s skill set on the same line has helped offset Zegras’ shortcomings with tougher defensive assignments and in the faceoff dot. 

The Flyers will negotiate with Zegras, a pending restricted free agent, for a contract extension during or after the season. His ability to play center could potentially heighten his value and drive up his price.

Briere scanned an underwhelming free agent goaltender market without finding an ideal fit. He initially signed Dan Vladar to a two-year contract to play in tandem with Sam Ersson. His choice placed faith in goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh’s evaluation despite conflicting opinions about Vladar within the organization.

Vladar has answered all questions emphatically by storming out of the gates to steal the number one spot in the crease from the incumbent Ersson.

The towering 6-foot-5 Czech netminder allowed two goals or fewer in his first six starts with the Flyers. Despite a recent return to Earth, his .909 save percentage ranks well above the plummeting .897 NHL average. He ranks well above the league median with 5.5 goals saved above expected, widely considered the most comprehensive advanced goaltending stat.

Ersson has struggled in his first six starts, and a groin injury slowed his progress in early November. While the Flyers are holding onto hope for Ersson as a long-term tandem goalie, Tocchet has turned to Vladar as his top short-term option.

Vladar will audition in the coming weeks for a spot on Team Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Countrymen Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth and Lukas Dostal of the Anaheim Ducks will also compete for time between the pipes.

Briere stopped just short of a full admission Christian Dvorak isn’t worth a $5.4 million annual salary when the Flyers signed the veteran center in July. A one-year deal carried minimal risk despite the overpay.

The glaring need for center depth and Tocchet’s history coaching Dvorak still created a sensible match.

Dvorak’s impressive scoring pace exceeds his career averages. He centered Zegras and Owen Tippett on November 14 against the St. Louis Blues in his signature performance with the Flyers. The trio accounted for all five of Philadelphia’s goals in a shootout victory.

Although an unsustainable 18.2% shooting percentage suggests he’s due for a scoring dip, Dvorak has brought the type of reliable performance down the middle that Briere hoped for. Center Jett Luchanko didn’t stick on the NHL roster, and Zegras has played mostly on the wing. Dvorak, meanwhile, has logged comparable ice time at center to seasons in his mid-20s with the Montreal Canadiens and under Tocchet with the Arizona Coyotes.

The 10-year NHLer will turn 30 in February. Outsiders have pointed out his potential value on the trade market with an expiring contract and a solid track record that would fit with a Stanley Cup contender.

Briere, conversely, hopes to avoid the seller’s label at the deadline. He’s created midseason holes subtracting contributing NHL players the past two seasons.

Have Tocchet and the players given Briere enough reason to shift his focus to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season? The answer could determine Dvorak's fate with the Flyers.

The Flyers also signed Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert on cheaper one-year contracts to add depth on the blue line.

Juulsen has solidified a third pair that was a concern after Gilbert, Helge Grans, and Egor Zamula failed to earn roster spots during the preseason. He’s never contributed much offensively through his journeyman career, but he’s settled any glaring concerns about a liability on the back end.

His passable performance is exactly what NHL organizations hope for when depth players log more ice time than expected. Rasmus Ristolainen hopes to return in December, and Emil Andrae is gaining his footing at the NHL level. The shuffling depth chart might eventually push Juulsen into a seventh defenseman role and frequent healthy scratch.

Gilbert never gained his footing in the organization. Briere flipped him to the Ottawa Senators for Maxence Guenette on November 17 in a swap of AHL defensemen.

The free agent misfire was the worst of Briere's offseason additions to the Flyers. It didn't, however, impact the outlook on the season, and it effectually netted the Flyers a player five years younger.

Advanced stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Money Puck, through first 18 games in 2025-26