Q&A: Flyers GM Danny Brière on the trade deadline, the promise of Matvei Michkov, and much more

First of two parts.

On March 8 at 3 p.m., the final buzzer will sound for the NHL trade deadline.

Entering the home stretch, the Flyers are in a spot not many thought they would be — third place in the Metropolitan Division and making a playoff push. We caught up with general manager Danny Brière as he gets ready for his first trade deadline at the helm to discuss how the unexpected spot impacts his game plan, and where his team and players stand.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

A: Didn’t even think of that.

A: What have I learned? I mean, it has been a lot to learn in the first year, obviously. You know, hockey-wise not much, I would say, has changed. It’s kind of what I expected. A lot of it is managing people, managing a team because you’re in charge now. That’s probably the biggest adjustment from where I was before [as an adviser] to now. But having a fantastic team around has been, first a lot of fun, and has made my life a lot easier. So I’ve been very, very fortunate.

You know what helped, too, is coming in I was very familiar with the organization. When you move and you get a job like this somewhere else where you don’t know the ins and outs of the organization, the people, it makes it a lot more challenging. So I was very fortunate that I knew a lot of the people, I knew where our strengths were and where we needed improvement and help. So, you know, that really helped.

A: You know, I think understanding our fans better, feeling like you’re part of the fans, you’re part of the community. I mean, I moved here in 2007, and it’s been our home since and it’ll probably be our home forever. Our kids, when asked where are you from? They’re from Philadelphia. So I feel like I’ve been part of the community now for a long time. There are not a lot of places where you have the chance to have a team that plays to their fan base, like Philadelphia. And obviously, I don’t mean the Broad Street Bullies. I know the times have changed and it doesn’t exist anymore. But, you know, it’s OK to play to what our fans want, what they appreciate. The hard work and physicality within the rules. So that’s what we try to start with our fans is give them a team that they’re proud of when they show up to the rink.

A: Well, we do watch him. It’s a tough situation because we don’t have our hands on him and we can’t help him really, we can’t help develop him. He’s got to do that on his own with his team and coaches that he has and we try to be respectful of that. But there’s no doubt that we’re excited with what we see and the improvement that we’re seeing in his play. We knew when we drafted him, that we had to wait for him to come over is part of the deal. So I’m not going to sit here and cry that he’s not here like other draft picks or other teams have the chance to have. But there’s no doubt that we’re looking forward to the day where we have a chance to bring him over here and hopefully he can take over the Wells Fargo Center and be as electric as he’s been in the KHL this year.

(Editor’s note: This interview was done last week in Chicago.)

A: A little bit and I’m sure for him, too. He’s watching, you know, how Connor Bedard is doing. He’s watching how Adam Fantilli is doing, he’s watching how Leo Carlsson is doing. He was in that group of players going into the draft, so I’m sure he’s watching and he’s probably thinking, I could be playing in the NHL as well — and we all believe that. But it’s the situation and we’re trying to respect it. When he comes, we’ll hopefully enjoy it even more.

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A: Yeah, and we also have to be careful with putting that tag on him because he’s young. But, you know, the one thing we talked about, the high-end talent that we didn’t have the last few years, he’s one player that would help us in that department. Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett have taken a big step and acquiring Jamie Drysdale elevates our skill level at different positions. But there’s no doubt that, from what we’ve seen at his age, Matvei is high-end when it comes to the skill level and hopefully translates well to the NHL when he comes.

A: I am. I’m very excited. I was very fortunate the last three years to be around and to see how things were being done. But yeah, I’m excited to be leading the way and, you know, there’s always a little bit of nervousness because you don’t know what the market is going to spit at you, basically. We’re hopeful that we get what we want, but we’ll adjust along the way. I think that’s probably the biggest thing is adjusting along the way because there are always curveballs that come and we’re trying to look at every possible scenario and analyze everything.

But I’m sure as we get closer, different doors are going to open and we just have to be ready. The biggest thing is having the team that we have, the amateur scouts, our pro scouts, and our advisers all at the helm, everybody willing to help and chip in. That’s going to be the key.

A: I think the players have put us in a tremendous position. People see it and they think we’re hating this. But the reality is, when your team is playing well, your players are playing well, the value of everybody elevates. So there are two sides to it. Where, yes, there’s the rebuild part but also, in the rebuild, there’s more value to our players. And, on the flip side, there’s the chance for them to make the playoffs and acquire some valuable experience moving forward for our young guys. We’re trying to navigate it. Again, it’s going to depend on what the market is out there for certain players, and we’ll have to decide if it’s better to keep them or if it’s better for the future. That’s the way I see it. It’s my duty to do what’s best for the organization and for this team moving forward. So, we’ll take it all in.

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But it’s not like we have to sell our players. That’s the beauty of it. Our players have put us in a great position when it comes to that and playoff position. I don’t think anybody expected us to be inside the playoff bubble at this time of the year. And there’s a big difference when you’re outside chasing, trying to make the playoffs, and when you’re on the inside and being chased. So I think, just that experience alone for a lot of our players is tremendous, that you get to learn a lot and acquire so much just by playing those games from here to the trade deadline and the trade deadline on. And if we get into the playoffs, well, it’s going to be even better, even more experience for our guys. So those are important games as well. So it’s a lot, but we have a lot to navigate, that’s for sure.

A: It’s exciting. It’s so exciting at the same time. I mean, I’m so proud of what our coaching staff and our players have done. I think we all are so proud. That’s the exciting part. It’s not too often you have the chance to say that, right? I think in the hockey world, in general, we’re very negative and we always find the bad stuff. But at the end of the day, what our players and our coaches have done, we have to be really proud of it to be in this position so far.

A: Yeah, it’s fair to say.

A: You know, I try to be as honest as I can. Obviously, there’s limits to what we can tell them. But I remember being there as a player and honesty goes a long way. I think it’s also respect towards those guys. I was in a room with a lot of those players. So I try to be honest with them and give them as much as I can, especially the guys that see their names in the papers whenever the rumors are flying. It’s uncomfortable. And the one thing I tell them is: We’re not shopping you, we’re not trying to get rid of you, but at the same time if teams are calling, well, it’s our duty to listen to what they have to say and see what’s best for the organization. It’s nothing personal and I hope the players appreciate that we’re up-front and honest with them as much as we can be.

A: I would say that they don’t have to worry about that. We are not going to be spending important assets of the future for a playoff run is what I can tell people. If a deal, like we did with Jamie Drysdale where it’s a hockey deal, we might explore that. But we’re not going to acquire a rental and give up young assets or high draft picks just to make a push. We might trade late picks to get some depth to help our team but not important assets is what I would tell the fans.

We have the same vision. Our goal is to build a team that’s going to be competitive and hopefully build into a Stanley Cup contender for years to come. We want to try to get out of the one year making the playoffs, the following year maybe missing. So we’re very aware of that. So don’t expect a trade to try to push us over the top to make the playoffs this year and give up young prospects or high draft picks.

A: I don’t think so. Yeah, it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be a battle coming down to the end for us. We’re very aware of that. I think, to me, it’s so awesome that we’re playing some important games coming down the stretch and the players will learn from that, good or bad at the end of the day, this will be a great experience.

It’d be great to make the playoffs because now we can take another step, and that’s playing in the playoffs which is another level up from that. But you look at the last few years, we haven’t had the chance to play meaningful games coming down to the trade deadline or after the trade deadline, which we will have this year. So, that’s the first step and then eventually we’ll get to the playoffs for our players to learn. If it’s this year, even better, if not, then hopefully it’s in the short-term future.