Prime suspects for Briere's offseason roster reshaping

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

If you’ve read me in the before times, or when I resurrected The Phanatic last year, you know I despise long-standing hockey cliches.

One of the big ones floated each and every summer by legacy media hacks is the idea that any general manager – in this case Flyers GM Danny Briere – needs to make a “big splash” in free agency to move things forward.

Just a reminder: this rush to make a “big splash” was a major factor in not one but TWO work stoppages in the last 2 decades. 

It’s already established Briere is – at least publicly – sticking to his guns that this rebuild will follow a path more like a steam locomotive than a roller coaster. Problem is, the world rotates as those inert choose to stay still. And besides, president of hockey operations Keith Jones stated this past winter, that a major flaw in the current roster construction is the lack of a top center.

With extra financial breathing room expected after another salary-cap expansion, plus the lingering million-plus from Cam Atkinson’s deal comes off the books, along with the expected departures of one or more UFAs such as Luke Glendening, Carl Grundstrom, Rodrigo Abols, Emil Andrae and Noah Juulsen, Briere can’t remain inert. 

There are solutions both cost effective and bold that are on the table, if Briere cares at all to receive more than just the usual mid platitudes from his boss, Dan Hilferty, either in private or in public.

As we approach the July 1 deadline, according to PuckPedia, the Flyers carry $66.5 million of total cap space. Approximately $42.8 million is allotted to forwards, $20.1 million to defensemen and Dan Vladar’s $3.35M on his existing pact.

Among the top six, monster cap hits are taken up by Travis Konecny ($8.75M through 2030-31), Sean Couturier ($7.75M through 2029-30), Owen Tippett ($6.2M through 2030-31) and Chris Dvorak ($5.1M through 2030-31). They’re also on the hook for $4M to Noah Cates for 3 more years.

Forwards

Dylan Larkin - The world has been notified that the soon-to-be-30-year-old wants out of Detroit. If ever there was a lock as a 1C, the Michigan product would be an optimal fit, despite being in the middle of a contract at $8.7M AAV per year. 

After racking up 643 points over 808 games in 11 seasons, Larkin has to have that hunger. He’s never tasted postseason success, with only 5 games of experience 10 years ago. That’s a delicious paradox: the players he’s expected to lead as a veteran can actually teach him what it’s like to turn it up in the spring.

If Wings GM Steve Yzerman wants to be taken seriously in any negotiation with any team which either Larkin or Detroit is interested, he cannot simply fixate on a trading partner’s best prospect – whether it be Porter Martone for the Flyers or anyone else – as a starting point.

Larkin is a player you don’t want to merely hear “the Flyers were ‘in’ on.” Whether or not Larkin is looking in Philly’s direction – and the dirt from 9 days ago says he’s not if he decides to wield his full no-trade clause – a pitch delivered in a face-to-face (virtually or in person) meeting with the player and agent is the absolute bare minimum.

My guess, the price would be two bodies – TK or Owen Tippett, or both – could be gone in any deal. And in the Connect Four that is the roster at the moment, that would open permanent spots for Martone or Alex Bump, maybe both if that’s the price. Also on the table would likely be one or more of the Flyers’ pending draft picks in the first 2 rounds (2 firsts in ‘27, single first & second in ‘28) which any club would salivate over.

His arrival would start to click the roster in place: Larkin at 1C, Dvorak at 2C and perhaps giving Denver Barkey an extended look at 3C around Cates & Foerster. It would be a complete disappointment and black mark on Briere's track record if we don't hear that Larkin's camp at least hears the Flyers' pitch.

Leo Carlsson - The 21-year-old Anaheim Ducks center presents a fresher, cheaper ($950K) option, although Briere might want more experience to fill a 1C role. He’ll fit perfectly for a club insistent on steady growth, with increasing career highs in goals, assists and points over all 3 of his NHL campaigns. 

Plus, as an RFA, Carlsson might be able to be locked into a longer-term deal with significantly reduced AAV compared to big-name UFAs. It would allow for adequate replacement of bottom-six forwards with some veteran grit without simply raiding Allentown for guys on 2-way deals. Carlson-Dvorak-Barkey sounds pretty good up the middle, no?

Brendan Gallagher - After the Habs loss in late May to the Hurricanes in the Eastern finals, Gallagher made it known he played his last game in Montreal, publicly unhappy with his apparent devaluation by head coach Martin St. Louis. Since arriving in la belle Provence 14 years and 911 games ago, he made it to three conference finals and one Cup Final while making enemies across the league. 

If “culture change” and “Flyers-type player” crossed in a Venn diagram, Gallagher’s answer is a total overlay.  Although the last year of his contract ran at $6.5M AAV, he’s an ideal candidate for a 2-year “sunset deal” to provide some sandpaper.  

Since the Flyers chronically shift players positionally and among their 4 lines based on need, Gallagher could be shuttled up and down the lineup at will. Top line? Give Dvorak & Zegras some room to operate. Second line? Chaos and Mayhem nightly with TK. Third pairing? Elbow grease to open up lanes for Michkov. 

Bottom line? If Gally can offer 10 goals, 20 points, 100 PIMs over 65-70 games, it’ll surely help push the lads along. As a player who stirs the pot and relishes the scrum, he may not be a darling of head coach Rick “Might as well drop the gloves and fight” Tocchet. Gallagher’s only engaged in 14 career bouts.

Defensemen

John Carlson - At 36 years old, with more than 1,200 games under his belt, there’s no one else who could bring the tools and experience to the backline. However, it would almost certainly mean losing whatever defensive instincts possessed by Rasmus Ristolainien and cost more thanks to his previous 8-year, $8 million AAV contract. Carlson would likely have to agree to a steep discount on another “sunset” pact but the Flyers really need a vet with less tread and maybe not another right-handed shooter. 

Darren Raddysh - Darling of the older beats because his career-best 22 goals for the Lightning last year was bolstered by 10 power-play scores. Can you really trust a 30-year-old with only 3  full years of NHL experience with 1 “contract-year” season of notice? Do you really think those numbers hold up in the Philly PP black hole? Raddysh’s last deal before UFA was $975K for 2 years so it might be tempting. 

Brent Burns - One of those f*** it, we ball choices. Hear me out. Although 41 years old and carrying more than 1,700 games in his wake, the grizzled one has put together five fully healthy seasons for the Sharks, Canes and Avalanche where he’s chipped in 63 total goals.

You want personality, it’s written all over his face and that Bobby Clarke-smile. A guy who can keep things loose in the room for the kids. A virtual steal at $1M. I’m envisioning Burnzie and Gritty pairing up for beard-oil promos, mountain-man lookalike contests, Halloween masks for the kids, Santa Burns outfits, etc. 

Goaltenders

Sam Ersson is a restricted free agent and arbitration eligible at $1.45M over his expired 2-year deal. If something isn’t worked out between the two camps, the below cost-effective options may provide some stability when Vladar needs to sit.

Matt Murray - Two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins, so we know he has a pedigree, but he’s clearly on his last legs. Still, a $1M price tag is a nice drop from whatever the Flyers’ qualifying offer would be to Ersson or what he could net if he wins at arbitration. Young players need veteran winners so we can’t deny what he learned – with Tocchet as an assistant no less - during his time with the Evil Empire. 

Eric Comrie - If Vladar is in line for more starts and more work given the pending extension, the 30-year-old who spent the previous 2 seasons in Winnipeg could be a catch. Learning under the wing of a 3-time Vezina Trophy, 2-time Jennings Trophy &one-time Hart Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck has to have some net positive effect. Comrie’s coming off a 2-year deal at $825K AAV and with his career save percentage hovering just below 90 percent for his career, this perhaps more than anything says “Flyers backup.”

Backtrack to the Phanatic's previous Offseason Weeklies:

Talking the big picture items Briere needs to show that he's a legitimate GM for a legacy franchise committed to building long-term success.

Evaluating Rick Tocchet's first year as Flyers head coach.

We know he's close to receiving a contract extension, but we don't know if Dan Vladar can really handle being a true No. 1 goaltender.

How will the two biggest cogs in the young offensive machinery, Alex Bump and Porter Martone, approach earning NHL jobs with their different in-season and off-season paths?

Briere needs to up his game if Flyers can make the leap

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

In a season-ending press conference that lasted suspiciously under 30 minutes on May 14, Flyers general manager Danny Briere said a lot without giving away too much.

Admittedly, just four days after the conclusion of a season that clearly energized fans, players and decision makers alike, Briere wasn’t going to have too many bullets in the chamber. 

The future looks bright after a surprise post-Olympic run to secure a playoff berth and then a satisfying six-game dispatch of a fading longtime rival. Then again, how many times have we seen this before? 

It’s easy for Briere, retroactively, to say the unstated goal from the start of the season was for the Flyers to make the playoffs. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc. All my Latin scholars and West Wing fans can look that up. 

But now that goal became reality, what next? Make the playoffs for a string of seasons? Win one round and have a better showing in the second? Win two rounds? Who stays and who goes? Who knows? The shadow?

Instead of taking a risk and perhaps letting slip some internal discussions or shallow thoughts on the matter, he stonewalled.

“It doesn’t,” he said when asked if a trip to the second round altered the master plan. “If there’s a chance to help improve the team, something that makes sense for the long run, yes, we will jump on it. As far as I’m concerned it’s the same thing. We’re in a growth part of the rebuild. What has changed is the experience our guys have gotten.”

Sitting up close, Briere’s demeanor betrayed nothing but revealed nothing. I realize poker faces are required for the job, but after we lived through the robotic Chuck Fletcher era, which followed somnolent Ron Hextall pressers, is it too much to ask for the current GM to act like he doesn’t need a jolt from a 9-volt battery attached to somewhere sensitive? 

Maybe it's the way the organization needs the job portrayed, as Paul Holmgren's stoic, steely-eyed public demeanor belied some pretty serious emotions stuffed down just below the surface.

Briere continued in his quiet, understated manner: “I don’t wanna lower expectations, either. I think they believe they can make the playoffs again. They want another taste of it. I would think that after tasting it, all our guys, going back into next year … you gotta be careful in how much pressure you put, obviously, but that was such a fun run and I think the guys want to experience that again.”

(Head desk) 

Playoff Success is an Elastic Concept

Briere was brought here as a free-agent splurge in the summer of 2007 in the wake of a dead-last overall season, a steady performer as the club did a full reversal. His first 5 years produced a surprise run to the Eastern finals (2008), then a first-round exit (2009), a surprise Stanley Cup Finals run (2010) followed by a four-game second round sweep (2011), to a fan-pleasing dispatch of a perennially hated rival ahead of a disappointing loss to a formerly-hated rival (2012).

Those were the Clarke-Holmgren-Snider axis days, when an unplanned leap forward in the postseason immediately triggered a seismic shift in expectations, backed by rivers of cash and cap space. 

I get what Briere is doing, throwing cold water on speculation to buy some time until key discussions are undertaken, but the next phase of the plan needs to be in place by summer’s end – whether it’s revealed publicly or not. So the players know where they stand. And most importantly, to curb wild speculation from all corners of the media.

With each individual era of success, there is a pattern of playoff rubber-banding between surprise and disappointment that has kept repeating throughout the franchise’s 60 years. The script is usually this: a surprise playoff entry goes further than predicted, the next year takes a surprising step back ahead of a galvanizing deep run before at least one year of further disappointment before the roster is dismantled.

It happened in the 70s, 80s, 90s and Oughts, too. The hour is upon Briere and company to flatten the curve in the 2020s. I have a hard time believing they think a linear path is possible. 

It’s a 32-team league where 16 teams advance and the cutoff is around 92-95 points. One of these seasons, no matter what the plan or Briere’s moves, they will take that proverbial step backward. It won’t be a negative on his ledger *unless* the braintrust sees no point in taking a risk.

“We don’t want to be forced to make a move, just to make a move, because we made it into the playoffs this year,” Briere also said in his presser, hinting at external questions of making a ‘big splash’ with plenty of cap space to come. “We’ve said it for a long time, we wanted to build a team that’s gonna be here for a long time, not just to go for it for a year or two.”

I give Briere credit for righting a ship that drifted, financially and talent-wise, under his predecessor with modest, low-risk moves, but a large chunk of success this season rests on the emergence of the players themselves. The young core certainly are on board with whatever comes next, thanks to their experience with heightened fan interest. 

“I probably had 7 or 8 guys in my exit meetings that specifically mentioned how the fans reacted at the end (with a lengthy ovation after Game 4 vs. the Hurricanes) and they said … they knew how special it was to play in the playoffs, in Philadelphia, they didn’t realize how special it was,” Briere admitted. “The fans made it extra special. What they did, our players noticed.”

How can Briere ensure his general vision of long-term sustained success comes to fruition? 

View From Above

Roster - Briere took a conservative path with his late-season AHL callups, pulled back from pulling back Denver Barkey & Alex Bump by head coach Rick Tocchet himself. He did let Porter Martone run free after leaving Michigan State. Good thing it worked out in small sample size. Now is the time for them take what’s there and to experience pits and ruts, uninterrupted, on the road to success.

That will best be served by a two-way feed of Briere suggesting to Tocchet he embrace more sharply-defined roles for each player and by Tocchet suggesting Briere trust in their usage. For the prospects or young guys looking to cement a roster spot for years to come, attempting to blindly mold them simply cannot happen anymore. No more center/wingers or winger/centers. Pick a line and optimal situation for the kids and keep ‘em there.

It is borderline criminal that there were, by my calculations, more than 40 different line combinations over the course of the regular season and half of the Flyers' 10 playoff outings.

With so much roster and cap space available due a raft of players on the Flyers and league-wide reaching either RFA or UFA status come July 1, Briere needs to be locked in and  make effective moves to plug holes. More on that next week. 

Coaches - Meddling in on-ice affairs is a recipe for disaster. However, if a fresh talent infusion whose individual skill sets could only help the power play don’t bear fruit next season, Briere would have to tell assistant coach Yogi Svejkovsky to bounce.

Even in an era of reduced penalties overall and a slimmer number of chances per game and per season, a lack of a functional power play puts too much pressure on 5v5 to win games. Yes, it might rankle Tocchet, an old-school mind who values loyalty and who brought Svejkovsky along from Vancouver, but failure is not an option. 

It is still uncertain (and has never been reported) whether the milquetoast Briere could get as heated and insistent as he might need to be to make tough choices and defend them. 

Also, as mentioned last week, the imbalanced relationship between Tocchet and Matvei Michkov and Tocchet and the rest of the Flyers roster has all the earmarks of the Columbia disaster – chips in the armor awaiting a true tipping point where the situation gyrates beyond salvation. 

There may come a day when Briere needs to step in, specifically on Michkov’s behalf, urging Tocchet to bridge whatever gap remains, instead of letting Michkov find out on his own how to gain his good graces. I hope some form of this discussion has already been attempted, due to what seems like a season-long series of one-sided leaks to media from Tocchet or higher-ups and a series of questionable scratches and lineup placement. 

Tocchet’s contract is for 5 years and if he’s losing a supposed franchise cornerstone due to intractability, or a pattern emerges where his my-way-or-the-highway approach starts to backfire, Briere is well within his rights to shorten that leash. 

Futures - For the upcoming Entry Draft (June 26-27 in Buffalo) Briere has picks in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounds, then has to wait until the 6th and 7th rounds to engage. That means there’s little to no wiggle room on reaches or projects. 

I’m not delving into specifics, as my role here as writer is not to play amateur scout and GM. Long time fans should be more concerned about the how and why, once the pick is made, rather than who. 

As a forever proponent of courting high-end Division 1 talent, Briere and assistant GM Brent Flahr need to figure out how to build a credible scouting system for American colleges. It’s not every year you hit on a No. 6 pick and then have a dark horse 5th-rounder arrive in the same season.

The club’s mid-round choices have been atrocious (Jay O’Brien), unstable (Wade Allison), Quad-A talent (Tanner Laczynski) or teetering on the brink of obscurity (Noah Powell, Ryan MacPherson) and the remainder of their historic drafting/signing relies too much on filling spots in the AHL or on favored nations (i.e. Western Michigan, Boston University, North Dakota). And you can't be wary of programs like Boston College because of one public blow out.

This is where I wish the late, great Ray Shero could have made the most impact if he were to agree to a front-office spot. He turned both the Devils and Penguins into sharper scouts.

In general, let the organizational perspective match the player’s size, skills and maturity is the first step. Allowing growth without complaint, or suggested guidance at the D1, European or junior levels is next. Aligning the Flyers’ plans with development in Allentown and John Snowden’s marching orders is the second-to-last level. Jett Luchanko? Once he lands in Allentown, groom him to either be a 1C or 3C Jack Nesbitt? Slot him into the opposite role when you decide where Luchanko fits. Oliver Bonk? Let him clean up that AHL minus-14 without shackling the skill that got him an NHL glimpse.

Keep it here next week where I'll talk about some obvious and not-so-obvious choices Briere faces to stock the 26-27 roster. If you missed it, read the Phanatic's take on first-year head coach Rick Tocchet.

Eagles, Patriots consummate deal for WR A.J. Brown

On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots finalized a trade which saw wide receiver A.J. Brown heading from the NFC East to the AFC East. 

A collection of stories about the deal, its ramifications and the drama surrounding it below:

From Johnny Mac himself at Sports Illustrated: https://tinyurl.com/3ue9jfrj

From Bleeding Green Nation on the relationship between WR1 and QB1: https://tinyurl.com/3um9fuc3

From Mike Reiss and others at ESPN: https://tinyurl.com/4uk8t4y4

Sanchez wins NL Pitcher of the Month honors

From Yahoo.com

Philadelphia Phillies left-handed starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez edged out Jacob Misiorowski for NL Pitcher of the Month honors, MLB announced late this morning. 

Across the entire month of May, Sanchez failed to allow a single run -- earned or otherwise.

He worked at least 7 innings during each of his 5 starts, striking out 45 batters and walking only 3 over 39 innings. In the process, Sanchez surpassed Hall-of-Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander for the Phillies' all-time consecutive scoreless innings record, which was held since 1911. 

Heading into Wednesday's outing at home against the San Diego Padres, the 29-year-old native of the Dominican Republic has held opponents scoreless in 44 2/3 innings, currently the longest active stretch in the majors. Only Los Angeles Dodgers starter Orel Hershiser in September 1988, according to MLB.com's Paul Casella, went an entire month without allowing a run, doing so during his 59-inning scoreless run that stands as the current major-league record.

On May 16 at Pittsburgh, Sanchez tossed a 6-hit shutout while fanning 13 and failing to walk a batter, the first full-game clean sheet ffor a Phillies starter since Sanchez himself accomplished the feat in June 2024 against the Marlins.

The previous Phillies pitcher to be named Pitcher of the Month for the Senior Circuit was Zack Wheeler in June 2025.

Misiorowski, a right-hander for the Milwaukee Brewers, also turned in a stellar second full month of the 2026 campaign, racking up an 0.23 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 38 1/3 innings.  

For the full list of award winners in both the AL and NL, click here.