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It’s Time to Start seeing the Fruits of Briere’s Labor.
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With the recent firing of Head Coach John Tortorella, I think we can finally assume that the dismantling of this once-great franchise is finally over. And heck, it’s about time!
Since Danny Briere was officially named the successor to Chuck Fletcher on May 11th, 2023, the fans of this great franchise have been waiting patiently (well, as patiently as a Philadelphia sports fan can) for him to restore the honor and respect that this team worked so hard to earn over its illustrious history.
But now that he has torn down this roster to bare bones by trading away countless rudimental players that the previous administration brought in to try to implement what turned out to be an antiquated-ineffective system. It’s time to see what the fruits of Briere’s labor have brought us.
And, to do so, you don’t have to look too far. Of course, we all have seen what Michkov (Briere’s 7th overall pick in the 2023 Draft) can do, especially after he no longer is getting punished for every little mistake he makes by a crotchety old coach who has always preferred to play veterans over youth as Matvei has somehow still managed to surpass the incredible Simon Gange’s rookie point totals. So, the sky is the limit for this young Russian superstar.
Karsen Dorwart
But, besides him, who else is coming up the pike? Well, the next player that Briere has brought in that you will see play with the Flyers in the next game is a newly signed undrafted free agent named Karsen Dorwart. Karsen is a 22-year-old forward who stands at 6’1 and 194 pounds. The Flyers signed him after completing a season at Michigan State, where he finished with 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 35 games played not to mention the fact the finished the season a +20!
He is a good two-way center with great on-ice vision. Dorwart, I believe, can be quite deceptive in terms of him being a pass-first player who can somehow find the blade of his linemates’ stick without even appearing to look their way. But, at the same time, he is not one to play hot potato. Karsen also has a bit of elusiveness to his game where he can evade the opposition’s defensives long enough that they no longer deem him a threat, just to have him reappear wide open in the perfect location to receive a puck from his teammate and fire one past the goalie.
Now, do I necessarily agree with this signing? Ehhh, although multiple teams coveted Dorwart before he eventually chose to sign with the Flyers. I would have probably chosen to sign a more offensively minded dot dweller like Michigan’s undrafted free agent center TJ Hughes, who over the last three seasons has racked up 47 goals and 122 total points in 116 games played and has a much better faceoff percentage. But what do I know?
As far as where Karsen will play, in practice, he was seen running drills with Deslauriers and Hathaway on the fourth line. It’s a job I would much rather see Poehling doing so that Dorwart could replace him on the third line, where his talents could be better suited to assist the underperforming Owen Tippet and newly acquired Jakob Pelletier. But I guess we will have to wait and see how it plays out.
Nikita Grebyonkin
If we look a little deeper in the Flyers Prospect Pool, you can find the recently acquired 6’2 209, pound Russian winger Nikita Grebyonkin, who, since being acquired from the Leafs in the trade that sent Scott Laughton packing, is looking to pay early dividends.
But let me assure you, even though you may not have heard much about this young winger (who can play on either side of the boards), he is no overnight sensation. Grebyonkin won the KHL’s Alexsei Cherepanov Award in 22-23, which is given to the leagues (Best Rookie), a feat that even the great Matvei Michkov did not achieve before joining the Flyers. On top of that, Nikita played in the KHL All-Star game last season and was able to propel his team last season to a KHL Gagarin Cup (their version of the Stanley Cup) by scoring 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points over 67 games played during the regular season.
What can he bring to the Flyers? Well, if you have been watching any Phantoms games, you’ll have seen that Grebyonkin has been the toothless physical power forward the team has been lacking since they traded away the great Wayne Simmonds. Now, before you take that and run with it, NO, I don’t think he will achieve the kind of success Simmonds had with the Flyers (at least not anytime soon), but what I do believe Nikita will bring is intensity. Seeing that he is fearless, whether it’s dropping his gloves to defend a teammate, joyfully finishing each and every checking opportunity, or gracelessly taking a beating in front of the net, Grebyonkin is willing to do whatever it takes for his team to come out victorious, which is why he has had so much early success in Lehigh Valley playing for the Phantoms. Where he managed to score three goals, and two assists for five points in only seven games played. And I think it is worth noting that two of those goals came while the team was on the power play, which is something the Flyers so desperately need help doing.
Jett Luchanko
So, another possible candidate we could see up with the Flyers in the not-so-distant future is Danny’s 2024 1st round pick Jett Luchanko. In my mind, Jett was a bit of a reach, especially since when the Flyers were initially supposed to be picking at 12th overall before trading that pick to Minnesota, there were still players like the elite defender Zeev Buium, on the board, as well as Cole Eiserman who is greatest American born goal scorer that has ever played in the USA National Team Development Programs history. But I guess they fell in love with Jett, soooo… here we are.
As serious as I am about that last statement, let’s dive into what exactly we can expect from Jett. Well, hence the name Jett has excellent speed. He is able to use it to beat the opposition to loose pucks in order to make some pretty amazing passes out of the corners to the goal mouth, where his awaiting teammates are able to send them past the surprised goaltender.
This season, while playing for the Guelph Storm after appearing with the Flyers in a couple of games, Jett was able to post 21 goals and 35 assists for 56 points in 46 OHL games played.
What can you expect when he joins the Flyers? Well, I think you’ll find that Luchanko will most certainly push the pace of their offense. Few players can match Jett’s speed, and he only seems to increase it more when the puck is on his stick. Therefore, he will be able to create chance after chance. The only thing is, in this upcoming draft, Briere will have to find a couple more guys who are shooters who will be capable of rifling home the kind of setups that Jett will be able to dish out.
As far as other prospects that Danny has in the pipeline. You have:
Forward Denver Barkey and defenseman Oliver Bonk, who both are drafted and already signed by Danny, who play for the London Knights of the OHL, but while you should keep an eye on them as possibles to make the roster next season, don’t look for them any time soon seeing that they can’t seem to stop winning games as they appear well on their way to winning yet another OHL Championship.
Other notables should include:
-Unsigned Flyers draftees like Notre Dame’s Cole Knuble, who Briere took with his fourth-round pick in 2023.
-Western Michigan’s Alex Bump, who was drafted in the 5th round in 2022 (when Briere was considered a special assistant to the GM (whatever that means).
-And SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL’s Yegor Zavragin, who was taken in the third round of the 2023 draft by Briere.
But these players are still unsigned, so for now, we’ll leave them to continue simmering on the back burner until they are inked.
In closing, Briere has done a lot to try and make this team better, and although we have yet to see just what the fruits of his labor will do, in a short amount of time, I think he has been able to come in and bring the Flyers into the 21st century by placing a renewed focus on youth and speed. It is something the Flyers neglected to do for so long while other teams surpassed them in the standings just by getting younger and faster. Time will tell if his methods pan out, but for now, things seem promising. However, I believe Briere’s actual test will be whether he can acquire a few franchise-changing prospects in this next draft since he has decided to give up so much in order to garner draft capital this summer.
NCAA Free Agents NHL Teams Should be Looking to Sign
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With the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey regular season coming to a close, it’s time for struggling or rebuilding teams to try and land a potential NHL-ready prospect who previously went undrafted but has since proved his worth in college.
Now, some may say these types of players never pan out, and if they were any good, they would have been drafted years ago, but I would argue that some guys are just late bloomers. And, if they are excelling in the NCAA now, where most teams highly touted draft picks go to continue their development anyway, then why wouldn’t you think that these guys could turn pro?
So, with us keeping that in mind, let me give you one undrafted collegiate player in each position who I think could leave college today and turn pro, whether it be in the NHL or AHL.
Center- TJ Hughes- University of Michigan
TJ, who stands at 5’11 and 185 pounds, is now a junior at the Univ. of Michigan. But it was hard for me to believe that this player was not drafted before joining the Wolverines, considering before ever stepping on campus, Hughes had a season in which he and his teammates not only won the AJHL Championship but the Centennial Cup as well for the Brooks Bandits. Where during the regular season, TJ posted an astounding 66 goals and 61 assists, which resulted in 121 points in 60 games played. If you do the math, that averages out to be a 2.11 points-per-game average (P.P.G.). He continued with that success in the playoffs that same year, netting 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 11 games played, which still equates to him amassing over two points per game. Then, in the Centennial Cup, he led his team to victory over some stiff competition, scoring six goals and six assists for 12 points in only six games played.
I guess teams thought he was just another undersized center and that he wouldn’t be able to produce in an actual league, right? WRONG!
Throughout the last three seasons playing for the Wolverines, Hughes has been able to compile 47 goals and 75 assists for 122 points in 116 games played and has managed to maintain a faceoff win percentage of 58%.
For this reason, it was believed that this proven point producer would have signed a deal with an NHL club after last season, but he did not, nor did he after attending the Tampa Bay Lightning Developmental Camp last summer.
I don’t know what this guy has to do to prove himself any more than he already has, but I am sure whoever smartens up and signs this offensive dynamo will not regret it.
Wing-Quinn Hutson-Boston University
You may have heard of Quinn’s younger brothers, 21-year-old Lane Hutson, who was taken in the 2nd round of the 2022 Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, and 18-year-old Cole Hutson, who was selected by the Washington Capitals in the 2nd round of last years draft, but I’m here to tell you Ouinn is no slouch.
In fact, he currently holds the highest point-per-game (P.P.G.) average this season of anybody in the NCAA, with him netting 1.44 P.P.G.
I know what you’re thinking. “Man, his production probably just spiked this season because Cole arrived on campus this year to play with him.” And you would be wrong because, over the last three years, Quinn has managed to rifle in 53 goals and 57 assists for 110 points in 111 games played. And, while that’s most undoubtedly impressive, the fact that he has managed to play night in and night out against some of the best teams in the nation and still be a plus player every year is even more notable, seeing that he has been able to maintain a +49 for the entirety of his colligate career.
Now, I’ll give you the fact that Quinn (who is 23) may not have been gifted with the type of elite talents his younger brothers have, but I can’t deny the fact that he has a high hockey IQ and exerts himself on every shift. And a lot of times, that’s all a coach wants because you can teach a guy a lot of things on the ice, but you can’t teach them hustle and determination.
Defense-C.J. Foley-Dartmouth College
C.J. is a 21-year-old right-hand shooting defenseman who stands at 5’11 and 174 pounds. He is a puck-moving, offensive defenseman who, if I had to give you a comparison, I would say he is a poor man’s (or, in this case, team’s) Seamus Casey.
I say this because, like Casey, Foley is a phenomenal stick handler who has been known to break a few guys’ ankles when bringing the puck all the way up the ice.
This season, Foley has managed to amass 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 30 games played, as well as maintaining a +16 average on the season. But if teams want him, they better sign him quickly because he did attend the Florida Panthers developmental camp this past summer and impressed while he was there.
Goalie-Albin Boija-Maine
Last but not least, we look at a Swedish prospect who plays perhaps the most challenging position to gauge a player’s future worth, and that’s goaltending. Very few teams can honestly say that they have found their franchise goaltender and been able to keep him for the better part of a decade. It’s just facts. Goaltenders are like running backs or cornerbacks in the NFL. Once you find one, you better start looking for the next one! Because, a good one is rare, and teams tend to overplay them, which leads to injuries. Or if they can stay healthy, teams will just end up losing them in free agency to another desperate team that is willing to throw an insane amount of money their way.
So, my recommendation would be for any prospecting team in need of a netminder to take a good long look at Albin Boija, a 21-year-old goalie who plays for the Maine Black Bears. Because this season, this 6’1, 181-pound guardian of the blue paint has managed to post a minuscule 1.77 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage with four shutouts and 20 wins on the season to boot.
Some may have thought a goalie having this type of season to be a fluke, but this came after his freshman year, where in 18 games, he was able to post a 2.01 G.A.A. and a .919SV%. So, he’s only gaining more confidence and experience playing the North American-style game.
Guys, this kid is young, and he is good. Therefore, it would only benefit an NHL team to stake claim to him by signing him to an entry-level contract so that they can just sit back and watch him continue to progress.
So, there you have it: one NCAA undrafted free agent from every position who should have NHL executives actively filling their voicemail boxes as soon as the final game horn sounds on their seasons.
Flyers Fans It’s Time to “Embrace the Suck”
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
So, we all know Danny Briere inherited a muddled-up mess when he took on the full-time role as the Flyers General Manager back on May 11th, 2023. Ever since that time, Danny has been tasked with ridding the team of disenchanted players who failed to live up to their expectations. He did so with the hopes of acquiring as many future draft picks and or budding already-drafted prospects as he could to help rebuild this once-illustrious franchise.
So, acting with that in mind, Danny has managed to ship out guys via trade like Scott Laughton, Erik Johnson, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Cutter Gauthier, Sean Walker, Ivan Provorov, Kevin Hayes, and Wade Allison.
And the guys he couldn’t convince other teams to take off his hands, Briere has had to buy out. Those players were Cam Atkinson and Tony DeAngelo, which cost the team $4,025,000 in salary cap space this season.
Unfortunately, to make sure this mass exudes of players happened, Danny also had to take on some bad contracts along the way, like Cal Petersen and Ryan Johansen.
Furthermore, let’s not forget that Briere also had to retain a portion of some of his former players’ salaries to ensure that they no longer would have to play for the Flyers, as he did for Kevin Hayes, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Scott Laughton. These moves will cost the team over five million dollars in salary cap space next season.
So, needless to say it has not been easy.
However, while I believe the much-needed deconstruction of this franchise is now complete. I feel I must urge this prideful fan base to borrow the mantra of the United States Navy Seals and motivational speaker David Goggins and “Embrace the Suck”!
What I mean by that is if you really want the Orange and Black to attain a future star to play alongside Matvei Michkov, then you must be ok with them continuing to lose out the rest of the season in order to increase their chances of making their pick fall somewhere within the first five selections of this draft.
Sure, with all the wheeling and dealing that I mentioned Danny doing above, he has managed to obtain multiple draft picks this off-season. But let’s face it, most of those obtained picks are going to be coming from playoff-caliber teams, which means they are only going to garner the organization more Scott Laughton and Morgan Frost-type guys. You know, players who will likely make serviceable NHL options but not turn out to be the kind of impact players that will be able to change the fate of your franchise.
And, even if you package those picks up and try to move up in the draft, there’s not a GM in the league (at least one that wants to keep his job) that will be holding a top-five selection that will be crazy enough to give that up for a bunch of late 1st or 2nd round picks.
I mean, think about if we are talking about building a dynasty here, the Penguins had to suck for years in order to be able to draft Marc-André Fleury in ’03, Evgeni Malkin in ’04, and Sidney Crosby in ’05. The Blackhawks had to go through some ROUGH times to be able to select Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in back-to-back years in ’06 and ’07. And let us not forget the Tampa Lightning and the fact that they did not turn into the juggernaut that they were for so many years until they were able to acquire Steven Stamkos in ’08, Victor Hedman in ’09, Nikita Kucherov in 2011, and Andrei Vasilevskiy in 2012.
Now, in saying that, I would never wish the team that I love to tank the season purposely. Still, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if they continued to take turns giving their NHL players a night off so that promising prospects like Emil Andre and Olle Lycksell get some experience and playing time up with the big club.
For, if they do, it might just result in the Flyers being able to draft a defenseman like:
Matthew Schaefer –
Or Forwards like:
Michael Misa- Who has 58 goals and 66 assists for 124 points already on the season for the Saginaw Spirt of the OHL.
Porter Martone- Who has scored 30 goals and 59 assists for 89 points this year for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL.
James Hagans- Who has scored nine goals and 25 assists for 34 points in 34 games as a true freshman for Boston College this season
Anton Frondell- A Swedish forward who has scored 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 29 games played this year for the Djurgardens IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan League in Sweden.
If Philadelphia can secure one of these elite players who may be able to suit up for the Flyers as early as next season, mind you. Then, and only then, can this team even begin to be considered capable of moving into phase two of this process which is the actual reconstruction of this team. Because I don’t care how good he is, you can’t expect a 20-year-old kid in Michkov who hasn’t even mastered the English language yet, let alone the game of hockey, to carry this team on his own.
As for the multitude of other picks, Briere has managed to obtain during his short reign as the Flyers’ GM. It’s unlikely that he will decide to use all of them so let’s hope that he continues to draft smart so that he can help to rebuild the team’s depleted farm system.