Philly Leader

In a recent press conference, Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere addressed the team's strategy following the trade deadline. The departure of players Scott Laughton, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Erik Johnson has created new opportunities for the team.

Briere described trading Scott Laughton as one of his most challenging decisions as a GM. "Trading Scott Laughton was one of the most difficult things I’ve probably ever had to do as a GM," he stated. Despite the difficulty, Briere acknowledged that it provided Laughton with an opportunity to return home amidst personal family challenges. "It’s tough to let him go. The return was amazing," Briere added.

The general manager also spoke about the impact on team culture with Laughton's departure. "He was a big part of the culture that we’ve been re-establishing the last couple of years," Briere noted, expressing hope that younger players like Noah Cates and Owen Tippett will step up in his absence.

Regarding new acquisition Nikita Grebenkin, Briere shared enthusiasm: "He was one of their prospects that we really liked." Grebenkin is expected to start in the AHL but is seen as a future asset for the Flyers.

Briere explained that trading Erik Johnson back to Colorado was more about giving Johnson another chance at winning a championship. Similarly, trading Andrei Kuzmenko to Los Angeles happened quickly due to mutual interest.

Rasmus Ristolainen remains valuable to the Flyers due to his improving play. "Teams weren’t able to pay what we felt the return is on him for us," said Briere.

Looking ahead, Briere expressed optimism about potentially becoming buyers at future trade deadlines and hinted at possible free-agent spending this summer. He sees progress in young players like Michkov and anticipates further development with seven picks in the top 50 of upcoming drafts.

"We’re getting younger and younger as a team," he said, highlighting excitement about building around core players from recent drafts over the next five years.