Will Danny Briere outperform his two predecessors?

There had been rumours for several weeks before the firing that Briere would eventually take on the role of general manager. After several weeks on the job, he evaluated the team and organization quietly, with few trades and moves being announced.

Given this situation, the question arises: will Danny Briere outperform his two predecessors, former general managers Ron Hextall and Chuck Fletcher? Both previous GMs had given the Flyers fan base much promise and hope, but the team had not reached the level of a Stanley Cup contender during their tenures.

During Hextall's time as GM, he had numerous players under his belt, including Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, and Wayne Simmonds, who did not receive the proper assistance at the trade deadline to elevate the team's competitiveness for the Stanley Cup. Hextall's career as a GM in the Flyers organization was cut short when he was fired in 2018, just four years after his hiring.

Fletcher, on the other hand, had expressed similar hopes for the fan base but ended up making questionable signings and head-scratching trades that did not make any sense. He also committed to long-term contracts with high values, particularly for players like Travis Sanheim and Kevin Hayes. His biggest debacle came during his final trade deadline, where he failed to execute the aggressive retooling he had promised. He later stated that he tried everything to make a trade but couldn't find any takers. As a result, he was fired from the organization after less than five years on the job.

Now the Flyers have turned to Briere for answers. To be fair, he's only been on the job for a short time, but he has already made some bold statements, such as initiating a full rebuilding phase for the team, which has yet to fully materialize. He has made some moves, including sending Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Kevin Hayes to the St. Louis Blues for minimal return. On the positive side, his draft choices have been excellent, bringing in Matvei Michkoff, who shows promise as a dynamic winger for the team.

With Keith Jones now serving as president and John Tortorella becoming more involved in player decisions, there are expectations for Briere to be more active in trades and moves over the next few months as more Lehigh Valley Phantom players become ready to transition into NHL roles.