Is the Flyers GM a lock for the Jim Gregory Award in 2024?
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Travis PolitakisFebruary 12, 2024 (9:57)
The 2023-24 season has been a whirlwind for the Philadelphia Flyers and their fans. From preseason predictions having the Flyers as the worst team in the NHL to the Flyers currently sitting in a playoff spot in third place in the Metro Division, Philadelphia has exceeded all expectations. Guys like John Tortorella, Travis Konecny and Samuel Erson deserve immense amount of credit, but one man has been the center of it all and has seemingly turned the franchise around.
During the summer, Danny Briere was hired to bring the Flyers back to prominence and lift them out of the darkest time the franchise has ever been in. So far, the 2023-24 is not only showing that Briere is on the right track, but is showing that Briere desevres to be in contention for the 2024 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.
Starting with his offseason additions, adding guys like Ryan Poehling, Cal Petersen and Sean Walker are turning out to be some of the most underrated moves of the entire NHL offseason. Ryan Poehling recently earned a contract extension and for good reason, as Poehling has been a force on the defensive end, and also contributed greatly on offense, most recently scoring a goal in Saturday night's win against the Kraken.
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Another addition proving to be a savior as of late is goalie Cal Petersen. After being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings as a "cap dump" many thought Petersen wouldn't see much playing time as Carter Hart and Samuel Ersson seemed to be the future in between the pipes.
As the Carter Hart investigation unfolded and the Flyers desperately needed a replacement, Petersen delivered big in his first start since November as he led the Flyers to a victory on Saturday night.
Outside of underrated aquisitions, Briere has also gained fans trust by being clear, transparent, and honest during this time of a rebuild. That was shown the night the Flyers traded top prospect Cutter Gauthier.
After notifying the Flyers he didn't want to be a Flyer, Briere protected Gauthier while they explored a trade. After trading him, Briere immediately addressed the media in the middle of the game and answered every question honestly, not hiding a thing from Flyers fans.
Briere has been challenged with many obstacles like the Cutter Gauthier and Carter Hart situations, and has still come out of those situations unscathed as the Flyers are poised for their first playoff appearance since 2020.
| POLL | ||
12 FEVRIER | 120 ANSWERS Is the Flyers GM a lock for the Jim Gregory Award in 2024? Does Danny Briere deserve the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award? | ||
| Yes | 66 | 55 % |
| No | 18 | 15 % |
| Too early to tell | 36 | 30 % |
| List of polls | ||
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