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Metro Notes: Killorn, Michkov, Konecny, Toffoli

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Following yesterday’s trade of forward Ross Colton, the Tampa Bay Lightning have again turned their attention towards securing a contract extension for pending unrestricted free agent winger Alex Killorn, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic said last night. Things will likely go down to the wire, but this will be one of the tougher negotiations in recent Lightning history. Killorn has reportedly turned down a longer-term extension offer at a low average annual value.

Moving Colton didn’t clear any cap space for Tampa. He was a pending restricted free agent, though, and the team didn’t have the salary cap flexibility to get an extension done. With the contract of retired defenseman Brent Seabrook on their books providing significant cap relief via long-term injured reserve, the team still has just $7.325MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly – which will be barely enough to re-sign RFA Tanner Jeannot, re-sign or replace their three UFA wingers including Killorn, and re-sign or replace netminder Brian Elliott as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s backup.

With Killorn being one of the top five UFAs available on this year’s market, it’s highly doubtful Tampa can make him a reasonable offer to stay. It would require quite a creative solution from general manager Julien BriseBois, who’s no stranger to cap gymnastics at this stage in his managerial career.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division today:

  • Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere was exuding confidence last night after his decision to draft Matvei Michkov with the seventh overall pick, revealing that he didn’t believe the Russian winger would fall and attempted to trade up. He wasn’t the only one – brand-new Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz was also reportedly trying to leverage assets to move into the top five of last night’s first round. Briere emphasized that the Flyers’ focus on rebuilding allows them to patiently await Michkov’s potential NHL debut, which could come as late as the 2026-27 season after his three-year contract with KHL team SKA St. Petersburg expires.
  • Staying with the Flyers, LeBrun also mentioned in his midnight column they’ve been receptive to trade offers for winger Travis Konecny, but Briere is inclined to retain him for the upcoming season unless an overwhelming offer emerges. Philadelphia has been the most active team on the trade market thus far in the offseason, already moving Kevin Hayes and Ivan Provorov while still aggressively shopping defenseman Travis Sanheim. The 26-year-old winger matched a career-high in 2022-23 with 61 points and provides high-end contract value at $5.5MM per season through 2025.
  • Lastly, per LeBrun, recently acquired right winger Tyler Toffoli has expressed his desire to begin contract extension talks with the New Jersey Devils at the earliest opportunity. Toffoli, seeking stability after playing for four teams in the past four years, sees the Devils as a team poised for long-term success. However, LeBrun predicts Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald will encourage Toffoli to familiarize himself with the team and market before initiating extension discussions – similar to the team’s approaches with Erik Haula and Timo Meier as recent examples.

Daniel Briere To Consider Trading Carter Hart

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The new General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Daniel Briere, has acknowledged the possibility that goaltender Carter Hart may be on the move this summer. In a post from Philadelphia Hockey Now, Chuck Bausman reports the quote, where Briere said, “Most likely, Carter will be our goalie for the future, but I’m not in a position to turn down anything, I have to listen.”

After becoming the interim General Manager for the Flyers in March, Briere quickly acknowledged that Philadelphia was headed toward a rebuild. Failing to make the playoffs the last three seasons, Briere will be looking to change up his roster starting this summer.

In all likelihood, Hart will remain the Flyers’ goaltender of the future, but putting out the possibility of a trade to the public should raise some eyebrows. At still only 24 years old, and with Hart only becoming a restricted free agent at the conclusion of his current contract, Hart should be considered a building block in Philadelphia’s rebuilding efforts.

Aside from a disastrous 2020-21 season, Hart has shown to be a quality goaltender in the NHL. This past season, Hart started in 54 games, holding a record of 22-23-10, and posting a .907 SV% and a 2.94 GAA. Especially considering that the Flyers finished 23rd in the league in GA/G, Hart’s production added some much-needed stability to a lineup that his wholly lacking in that department.

If Philadelphia does end up moving on from Hart, factoring in his age, his performance, and the flexibility provided in his contract, there should be plenty of suitors for his services. For context, although not holding two above-average goaltenders like the 2012-13 Vancouver Canucks, the Canucks were able to trade Cory Schneider at the 2013 NHL Draft for the ninth overall pick, which would go on to become Bo Horvat.

Schneider did hold a longer string of success compared to Hart, but considering that Hart is three years younger compared to when Schneider was traded, and they hold similar contracts, the Flyers could conceivably receive a large haul for Hart.

Flyers Hire Keith Jones As President Of Hockey Ops

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May 11: The Flyers have made it official, hiring Jones and removing Briere’s interim tag.

May 10: Sportsnet is reporting that the Philadelphia Flyers are set to name Keith Jones as President of Hockey Operations. Elliotte Friedman first broke the news this evening that will see the long-time broadcaster Jones move from the studio to the boardroom. Earlier today Frank Seravalli had reported that the Flyers were down to two options: Ed Olczyk and Keith Jones, with the Flyers electing to go with the latter over the former.

The Flyers are expected to make a formal announcement on Thursday at which time they will also drop the interim tag from Daniel Briere’s general manager position. Jones and Briere will take over from Chuck Fletcher who was fired March 10 as the Flyers were on the cusp of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

Jones has been in broadcasting booth or between the benches since 2005 and is currently employed by the NHL on TNT as well as local Philadelphia broadcasts on NBC Sports Philadelphia. He is also a former Flyers player having been with the team for parts of three seasons from 1998-2001.

Jones, Briere, and company have a tall task in front of them. As mentioned earlier the Flyers haven’t made the playoffs in three seasons and have won just a single playoff round in the last 11 years. It’ll be interesting to see the path the Flyers go down and whether Jones and his management group elect to embrace the rebuild that the Flyers have desperately needed for the past half decade. The Flyers don’t have a particularly good prospect pool and haven’t been able to cash in on any of their pending free agents at the last two NHL trade deadlines. Their NHL roster is saddled with several bad contracts, and they are lacking in top end talent. If they do go for a rebuild, it will be long and painful and something that the Flyers organization haven’t had the stomach to do for quite some time.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Scott, Potential GMs/Coaches

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The NHL announced its Three Stars of the Week for March 20 through March 26, with Viktor Arvidsson of the Los Angeles Kings earning the top spot. Arvidsson led the league with five goals and two assists, scoring in each of the three games he played. His performance helped the Kings extend their point streak to a franchise-record 12 games as they rocket up the Pacific Division standings.

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki was named the Second Star after tallying eight points in three games. Suzuki’s four-point effort in an 8-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets was his first career four-point outing. The Third Star went to Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who posted a 2-0-0 record, a 0.96 goals-against average, and a .972 save percentage. Gustavsson’s 47-save performance in a 2-1 win of the New Jersey Devils was a career-high. The Wild have earned points in 12 of Gustavsson’s past 13 starts dating back to February 11. His excellence in goal for the Wild has helped them continue to climb the Central Division standings without the services of Kirill Kaprizov.

More from around the league this morning:

  • Dave Scott, the chairman and former CEO of the Philadelphia Flyers’ ownership group, Comcast-Spectacor, will be retiring from his positive effective April 17th. Comcast-Spectacor announced the news Monday, ending Scott’s 30-year time at the helm of Philadelphia’s ownership. Dan Hilferty, who was recently appointed as CEO of the company, will take over as chairman and assume both of Scott’s former roles, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
  • ESPN’s Emily Kaplan compiled a list of the top candidates for potential coaching and general manager vacancies, with a lot of familiar names near the tops of both lists. Former Florida Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery, and Seattle Kraken assistant Jay Leach made Kaplan’s “ready right now” tier for coaching vacancies, while former Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, Flyers interim GM Daniel Briere, and Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche made the “ready right now” tier for GM vacancies.

 

Snapshots: Tortorella, Moore, Capitals

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The Philadelphia Flyers have a long offseason ahead of them, figuring out what to do in the front office after firing Chuck Fletcher a few days ago. One of the people that figures to be there—regardless of how the titles shake out—is Daniel Briere, who took over as interim general manager in Fletcher’s absence.

In that case, you can also keep John Tortorella’s name jotted down in pen for next year. Briere spoke with Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports today, and explained that Tortorella was his first choice to coach the Flyers last year and is “the man for the job” still. The veteran coach signed a four-year deal worth $16MM last June.

  • There’s an interesting name among those invited to the 2023 National Team Development Program evaluation camp later this month: William Moore. The Toronto native holds dual citizenship and is nearing a crossroads in his hockey career. He is a potential first-overall selection in the OHL draft if he indicates that is the path he’ll follow. He could also join the NTDP or USHL to maintain his college eligibility. Just 15, he isn’t eligible for the NHL Draft until 2025.
  • With how well Rasmus Sandin has played in the early going for the Washington Capitals, the team may have found an inexpensive option for big minutes on the blueline next year. As Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic writes, that would open up money for the team’s biggest offseason target, a top-six forward (or two). The group currently has Craig Smith, Conor Sheary, Connor Brown, and Carl Hagelin all scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer, opening up plenty of room for a significant addition.

Flyers Notes: Briere, Laperriere, Flahr

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Earlier this morning, Interim General Manager Daniel Briere of the Philadelphia Flyers held a press conference introducing his new title to the media. Briere touched on many aspects of where he expects Flyers hockey to go. One of the more popular soundbites coming out of the press conference is that Briere believes the Flyers must enter a “rebuild that will be a multi-year process”. Jeff Marek of Sportsnet also noted that Briere doesn’t believe a fire sale is justifiable, as he believes there are still talented players on their current roster.

Since his retirement from the NHL after the 2014-15 season, Briere has been working in various capacities for Philadelphia since 2017. Briere was initially put in charge of the ECHL’s Maine Mariners, a team that was purchased by Comcast Spectacor, the same ownership group of the Flyers. After serving as General Manager for the Mariners, Briere was named a special assistant to the General Manager for the Flyers halfway through last season.

The Flyers are expected to go through a hiring process to determine who will oversee this team full-time, and although Briere may be the front-runner, there is no guarantee that he will be given the job. With a deep 2023 NHL Draft on the horizon, and the Flyers having some money coming off the books before free agency begins, it will be interesting to see how Briere handles putting the beginning touches on the Flyers’ rebuild.

Other notes from the press conference:

  • Briere gave a lot of credit to former Flyer Ian Laperriere in his development of key prospects on Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Since being named the head coach before the 2021-22 AHL season, Laperriere has helped graduate several Flyers prospects such as Cameron York, Tyson Foerster, and Morgan Frost. With a lot of changes expected to come internally to the Flyers organization, Laperriere may be a popular name for promotion.
  • Since taking a job with the Flyers during the 2018-19 season, Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr has seen many ups and downs in Philadelphia. Briere noted during his press conference that the expectation is that Flahr is expected to remain with the team for the foreseeable future. Since working his way up as a scout with the Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks, Flahr spent a few short seasons with the Ottawa Senators as their Director of Hockey Operations. Beginning in the 2009-10 season until his eventual move to Philadelphia, Flahr was the Assistant General Manager of the Minnesota Wild.

 

Philadelphia Flyers Fire Chuck Fletcher

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced this morning that they have released Chuck Fletcher from his duties as President of Hockey Operations and General Manager.

In addition, former Flyer Daniel Briere has been named Interim General Manager while the team begins the process of permanently filling two separate positions: a President of Hockey Operations and a General Manager, indicating that the team is pursuing the split structure that other clubs, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens, have employed.

Dave Scott, Chairman of Comcast Spectacor and Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers, issued the following statement, that begins:

The Philadelphia Flyers organization has always been defined by grit, determination, and a standard of excellence. Over the past several seasons, our team simply has not lived up to that standard, so today, we will begin to chart a new path forward under a new leadership structure for Hockey Operations.

The full statement can be read in the team’s release. While circumstances outside of the organization’s control have definitely played a part in the Flyers’ struggles in recent seasons, the fact that this change has ultimately been made should not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed Philadelphia recently.

Fletcher was originally hired by the Flyers to replace former general manager Ron Hextall, whose patient, sometimes overly passive approach to team-building was believed to be holding the Flyers back. At that point, led by Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, and some ascending young players, the club believed that they had all the right ingredients (and the right head coach in Alain Vigneault) to win them hockey glory.

That belief held some merit, as the Flyers nearly made it to the Eastern Conference Final in the “bubble” playoffs in 2019-20 before ultimately falling to the New York Islanders. That belief that their club was on the cusp of true Stanley Cup contention, however reasonable at the time, proved to be the underlying mistake that inspired much of what went wrong in Fletcher’s tenure.

When the wheels fell off in 2020-21 and the team stumbled out of the playoff picture, it was despite their intention on competing, and so although the team had disappointed, the organization remained steadfast in their belief that true contention was not far away. This led to some questionable team-building decisions that, while undoubtedly made as part of a collaborative effort on behalf of multiple decision-makers in the organization, ultimately are Fletcher’s responsibility as he was at the top of hockey operations.

It began in the summer of 2019, when the Flyers signed career second-line center Kevin Hayes to a seven-year, $7.14MM AAV contract.

Hayes had reached the 20-goal mark just once in the five seasons prior to signing the mega-deal, with 25 goals in 2017-18 with the New York Rangers. He had hovered around 2o goals multiple times, but hardly had warranted a long-term contract, but the Flyers were desperate for a scoring center.

Hayes had a solid first season in Philadelphia, with 23 goals and 18 assists for 41 points in 69 games, but did not take the offensive leap the Flyers were hoping for. Hayes has struggled to stay healthy since that first season, appearing in less than 60 games the next two years, but has rebounded a bit with 17 goals and 32 assists for 49 points in 64 games.

With three seasons left on that contract, Hayes is now looking like an odd man out in Philadelphia, although the large hit against the cap will make moving him a difficult task.

In 2021, the Flyers acquired defenseman Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators, taking on a contract with a $6.2MM AAV running through the 2026-27 season. Ellis has played just four games for the Flyers, and has missed the entire current season due to injury.

The trade for Ellis saw center Nolan Patrick, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, shipped out for a quick fix on the blueline. Ellis had been a strong member of a stout Nashville Predators blueline for a few years, and on paper looked to be a strong acquisition for Philadelphia.

Ellis surely would have aided in making the Flyers a more difficult team to play against, and his absence hasn’t made things easier.

Another move that has resulted in a highly paid player not producing as much as the team would like was the trade for forward Cam Atkinson from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Jakub Voracek. Atkinson brought a lower cap hit to the Flyers, but has missed the entire season due to injury.

Another move made for a defenseman in the summer of 2021 brought Rasmus Ristolainen from the Buffalo Sabres. The Flyers signed Ristolainen to a five-year contract with an AAV of $5.1MM. Ristolainen has been on the ice for the Flyers, but hasn’t provided much of an impact, especially offensively with just two goals and 12 assists for 14 points this season.

Fletcher’s legacy with the Flyers is the construction of an expensive roster that has performed nowhere near expectations. The Flyers are in a tough spot, as they stare down the abyss of a potential rebuild while also boasting some solid talent depth on the roster, although much of that depth is signed to long-term contracts that would be difficult to part with.

It will be interesting to see how Briere moves into the role, as he is likely auditioning for a chance to be involved with the Flyers’ hockey operations decision-making moving forward.

Philadelphia Flyers Add Daniel Briere To Hockey Ops

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The Philadelphia Flyers have officially named Daniel Briere to the position of special assistant to the general manager, bringing him into the front office on a full-time basis. Briere had previously been with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, most recently as president and governor. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher explained what it means to have Briere join:

I’m very happy to add Danny to our hockey operations team in a full-time role. His insight and experience from 25 years in professional hockey, as well as first-hand knowledge of the Philadelphia Flyers, is a valuable asset for our organization and I look forward to working closely with him on a day-to-day basis.

Briere, 44, is considered a top up-and-coming executive and was even considered for the GM role with the Montreal Canadiens recently. He has been a development consultant with the Flyers for the past two years and before his time with Maine, served on the business operations side of the Philadelphia organization.

Now, according to Fletcher, Briere will be involved in all aspects of hockey operations including scouting and player development. A veteran of 973 regular season games, Briere racked up more than 300 goals in a long career that included a long stint with the Flyers. While his regular season production was excellent, it is the playoffs where most of the center’s memorable moments occurred. Briere was an outstanding postseason performer, racking up 116 points in 124 career playoff games and helping the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010, leading all players in scoring.

All of that experience will now come into play for the Flyers front office, where he’ll take the next step toward a likely eventual future at the helm of an NHL team.

Flyers Expected To Promote Daniel Briere

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The Flyers are set to make a change to their front office.  As first reported by Crossing Broad’s Anthony SanFilippo and since confirmed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link), Philadelphia is set to promote Daniel Briere to a higher role in the organization.  The exact title he’ll now hold is uncertain, either as an Assistant GM or Special Assistant to the GM with an official announcement expected in the next couple of weeks.

The long-time center, who spent six seasons with them as a player, has been a consultant to the team for the past two seasons and held the Special Assistant title for a couple of years after retiring but the bulk of his front office work has been done outside the organization.  He has held several roles with Maine of the ECHL, helping build that franchise up from the ground and is currently their team President and Governor.

Briere recently interviewed for the GM role in Montreal and while that role ultimately went to Kent Hughes, he was believed to be one of the three finalists for the position.  Now, it appears he’ll get an opportunity to do more with the Flyers as GM Chuck Fletcher starts to build up Philadelphia’s front office.

AHL Notes: Malone, Trade, Signings

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Veteran minor leaguer Sean Malone is set to miss an extended period of time following recent surgery, reports Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. Malone is a familiar name to Buffalo Sabres fans; the Harvard product has spent four of five pro seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans and three of those under contract with the Sabres. After leaving last season to sign with the Nashville Predators, Malone returned to Buffalo this off-season and has been enjoying the best season of his career with nine goals and 22 points in 23 games with Rochester. However, Hoppe writes that an undisclosed lower-body injury that has plagued the 26-year-old throughout much of his career finally caught up with him, forcing him to opt for surgery. The decision will keep Malone out at least six weeks, according to Americans head coach Seth Appert. Though Malone has only two NHL games to his credit, one with Buffalo and one with Nashville, the veteran is a trusted member of the Sabres’ organizational depth chart and one whose absence in the minors will be noticed. Appert states that Malone is a leader and “go-to guy” who has been instrumental in the development of top Sabres prospects like Jack Quinn and J.J. Peterka. Though Malone is expected to be out until at least March, hopefully the veteran can return to action at full strength and hit the ground running at his current career scoring pace, perhaps even earning another chance in Buffalo.

  • The Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes completed an AHL trade on Friday, with forward Stephen Harper moving from the Chicago Wolves to the Tucson Roadrunners in exchange for future considerations. Harper was the hero of the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Playoffs last season, earning postseason MVP honors for leading the Fort Wayne Komets to a title behind 13 points in 12 playoff games – all as a rookie no less. He has continued to excel at the “AA” level this year too, with 18 points in 15 games. However, the power forward hasn’t earned much more opportunity this year as a result of those efforts. Harper has played in just six AHL games this season in a limited role, which is likely what prompted a trade. The 26-year-old USports product is not exactly an NHL prospect, but has earned a chance to show what he can do at the next level and the Roadrunners appear willing to give him that opportunity.
  • Is a Daniel Briere pipeline forming between the ECHL’s Maine Mariners and the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms? The Mariners may be affiliated with the Boston Bruins, but they share an owner with the Philadelphia Flyers in Comcast Spectacor and GM and President Briere is a former long-time Flyer himself. For the third time already this season, a Mariner has signed an AHL contract with the Flyers’ affiliate in Lehigh Valley. The Phantoms announced that they have signed forward Alex Kile to a contract for the remainder of the season. Kile was the first ever signing by the Mariners when they joined the ECHL back in 2018  and the University of Michigan product has 162 points in 201 ECHL games ever since, with some AHL loans mixed in as well. With five goals and 12 points in seven games with Maine so far this year, the Phantoms decided that the 27-year-old Kile was worthy of a more permanent AHL stay.
  • The Washington Capitals have seen enough from USports forward Derek Gentile this season to put an end to his collegiate season with a pro contract. The Dalhousie University standout signed a contract with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, though he will begin his pro career in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays. Gentile, the captain of the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in 2019-20, missed his first collegiate season in 2020-21 but you wouldn’t know it by his play this season. Gentile recorded 15 goals and 27 points in 18 games for Dalhousie prior to his departure. And he stayed hot in his pro debut on Friday, posting two goals and an assist in his pro debut. Gentile could be in Hersey very shortly if that keeps up.

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