Flyers GM Danny Brière addresses Matvei Michkov’s benching, key offseason questions, and the team’s future

Danny Brière sat down in front of the media on Thursday for his annual postseason news conference.

For the first time since he was officially handed the reins of the Flyers three years ago, the general manager used the word rebuild only twice. That’s it. He agreed that the team is still in the growth phase of its rebuild; however, things are slightly different, with the Flyers not just making the playoffs for the first time since 2020 but also advancing to the second round.

“What has changed is the experience our guys have gotten,” he said. And with that also came the appreciative reaction from the fans after his team was eliminated. Instead of preaching patience, he was thanking the faithful.

“We asked them to invest in the team and spend money and time to come in and see us. What they did last game was truly, truly amazing, and I wanted them to know that [and] that it was our players [who] took notice of that,” he said, noting several players brought it up in exit interviews.

“... They knew how special it was to play in the playoffs in Philadelphia. They didn’t realize how special it was. And that the fans really made it that extra special, and I wanted our fans to know that what they did, our players noticed.”

» READ MORE: Rick Tocchet talks power play, Matvei Michkov’s ‘vengeance tour,’ and more at his end-of-season media availability

Here are two major takeaways and some other interesting nuggets from the Flyers general manager’s availability:

As always, Matvei Michkov was a topic. Two days after the winger’s bizarre news conference and one day after coach Rick Tocchet discussed Michkov getting scratched in Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes and his future, Brière was asked a similar question. The general manager backed up his coach, confirming that the change was precipitated by wanting more speed in the lineup.

“Matvei is a great talent. Matvei, we see him being part of the picture for years to come. That hasn’t changed,” Brière said. “It’s not because he was scratched in that last game that it changes everything.

“The coaches wanted to put the best lineup, to give [them] a chance to win in that last game. … It’s one game, and in the playoffs, you have to go with the best team that you think can make you win. But it doesn’t change anything for the future.”

It was just one game, but it was actually his second benching of the postseason. Regardless, the GM was not afraid to acknowledge that, despite Michkov finishing with 51 points in 81 games, already “accomplishing a lot,” and making an impact at a young age, mistakes were made by the 21-year-old winger.

“He knows he needs to improve off the ice in his training — and that’s not a secret — he’s admitted that himself. … So, the big thing for Matvei is adapting," Brière said.

“I think he’s a very smart young man. He will adapt, and he will learn from what happened this year. … You’re going to go through some ups and downs — I know I did in my career — and it’s how he’s going to adapt to it, how he’s going to get himself back up from it. But I think he’s a smart man, and he’ll figure that out."

» READ MORE: Matvei Michkov and the Flyers have a swirl of questions around them. His answers Tuesday will only add more.

Brière said that Michkov has not decided where he will train this summer, whether in Voorhees or Russia, but did say he will spend some time in New Jersey.

“He wants to make sure he’s ready to go. And we did talk about the fact that training camp next year is shorter, not a lot of time to ease into it,” he said. “So that was addressed with him, and he knows he has to be ready to go right from day one of camp.”

Maybe Brière is rubbing off on his team. Is it because he was known to be a hypercompetitive hard worker? Or maybe it’s because the Gen X GM grew up in the era of The Goonies, who never say die.

“First of all, [I want to say] how impressed and proud I was of our players and coaching staff for the way they never quit,” he said at the start of his news conference. “This team has been known, even going back to the last few years, as a team that’s relentless about never quitting, and they showed that again this year.”

So, after having made the postseason and showing that attitude, what comes next?

“We’re in a good spot as far as the salary cap goes, as far as our picks goes, as far as our prospect goes. So there’s a lot of upsides there,” he said. “And if there’s an opportunity to jump on something that could help us, yeah, it’s my job to look at everything. But I don’t feel that I’m forced to make a move just to make a move, because we’ve made it into the playoffs this year.

“We’ve said it for a long time. We wanted to build a team that was going to be here for a long time, not just to go for it for a year or two. So that’s still the same approach on my end.”

» READ MORE: Flyers believe making the playoffs this year was just the beginning: ‘I feel like we’re on the right path’

Does he go out and get a No. 1 center? Or a No. 1 defenseman? Or a goalie? Those were all on last year’s wish. “I don’t think it has changed a lot from last summer,” he said. Except for one thing: It sounds like the goaltending position is in good shape with Dan Vladař.

Brière has not yet met with Tocchet and his staff to review the season and go through the roster; that came later Thursday. And while he specifically appreciated the work Trevor Zegras, Denver Barkey, and grizzled veteran Sean Couturier did down the middle, he still has his eye on things.

Although the Flyers have several youngsters rising through the ranks, including Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Barkey, who all made their NHL debuts this season — “I can’t remember what it was like not having them” — there is the rising anticipation of Philly becoming a destination again. Because, as an agent noted to The Inquirer previously, what most entices top-end free agents is a place where they can win.

And now, according to Brière, Tocchet also is a draw.

“I was really impressed with how involved he was with the players. He almost kind of became a skills coach as well as a head coach for us — and don’t tell him I said that, because he’s going to want more money in his next contract. But it’s almost as if he was filling different boxes."

“There’s a connection there [with players],” he continued. “He’s known as a players’ coach. … I know I’ve gotten a lot of comments from agents that their players would certainly be open to playing here because of Rick Tocchet. But it’s more than that. It’s the effort that he’s put in, and how he’s building this team and getting them to believe.”

Right before Brière spoke with the media, the Flyers dropped a long list of injuries the players were dealing with. The only one who could miss time at the start of next season is Nikita Grebenkin, who has an upper-body injury. “Initially, we thought it was going to be something short, and it just never got better,” he said. “Now we’re looking at different options for him. So he’s the only one that I would say maybe, if it doesn’t improve.” … Brière said that he, as of now, has no worries about re-signing restricted free agents Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale. … There have also been rumors already that the Flyers are interested in extending Vladař. “If you can ask the same question to Danny Brière, I’m going to be watching. So we’ll see what he says,” the goalie joked on Tuesday. “I heard his answer,” the GM said with a chuckle on Thursday. ”Maybe we wait, and I’ll talk to you guys [off camera] about that." But Brière did not bite on whether things are trending in that direction. … The GM revealed he initially told Barkey he would be up for the weekend when he made his NHL debut in late December. “Next thing, you know, Denver never returned. So I’m sure the guys in Lehigh were not too happy with me,” he quipped. … Bump was also only supposed to play a game, but he scored and played well, and the coaches wanted him to stick around. … And with Martone, they weren’t initially sure it was fair to play him with the team in a playoff hunt, but his impact was immediate. “You can’t buy that experience for those guys, and next year coming back, they know what it’s like to play in the playoffs, and they’ll know what to expect,” Brière said. “They’ll know how tight the game [is] and how hard the game gets in the playoffs. So it’s a huge plus to have had the chance to give them those games.”

» READ MORE: Flyers full injury report includes broken bones for Travis Konecny, Cam York, Noah Cates, and Christian Dvorak