What Can We Expect From Daniel Briere on Day 2 of Draft?

Back when The Simpsons was still funny, there was a famous episode where Homer became the head of the union at the power plant. He was talking with the kids about how the strike would all come down to his skills as a negotiator. Bart then trades a "delicious doorstop" for Homer's "crummy old Danish". For my Flyers' fans, this was how things went under former GM Chuck Fletcher. "What, you want Shayne Gostisbehere and a draft pick? Ok....what do we get back?....Nothing....IT'S A DEAL!"

The NHL Draft is probably the most complicated. It's not like the NBA or NFL where you are solely looking at the NCAA ranks to get your talent. You have scouts scouring the NCAA and US high school ranks, Canadian junior leagues, European junior leagues, international tournaments, etc. There are thousands of potential stars out there from all over the world. You have to do your homework. Just because someone is tearing it up in, let's say the Swiss or Russian league, doesn't mean their talent will translate over to the NHL.

After watching Daniel Briere's work last night, one thing is clear. He is NOT Chuck Fletcher. While it is way too soon to see if his moves will pan out, you have to admit he has the guts to make big moves. He showed this flair last year when he drafted Matvei Michkov when it was uncertain when he could arrive in North America to play in the NHL.

Briere has shown a willingness to be aggressive at the NHL Draft

Let's begin before this year's draft. There were several rumors that he was trying to move up. Perhaps he was trying to get into the top 5 to pair Michkov with a teammate of his, Ivan Demidov. There had been rumors for weeks, as well, that he was working with the Ottawa Senators to trade players and draft picks. None of those happened, but at least attempting shows he is thinking creatively about how to improve this team rather than just standing pat.

Speaking of not standing pat....holy cow did he rip off the Minnesota Wild. A third-round pick just to move up one spot? Was Howie Roseman there in disguise? Come on! I bet the conversation sounded like this:

Hey Bill (Guerin). Danny over here.....So, you want that Zeev Buium kid, huh?..Yeah he's really good. Probably one of the best young blueliners in the draft. ...Some of my team want him, but we are leaning more towards center. So, here's the thing, we may take him, or we may not. St. Louis wants a defender. They could offer us a bit to move up, so we are going to offer you first dibs. What would you give us to move up and grab your guy? You know, to keep us from taking him?...A fourth rounder? I thought you were serious Bill. I'll call you back and see what Dougy (Anderson) in St. Louis says...A third rounder? You got a deal and your guy!

Then we move on to the Flyers' pick for the night, Jett Luchanko. Ok, this pick kind of came out of left field. Nobody saw this coming. If you look at ANY NHL mock draft online for the Flyers, nobody had Luchanko coming to Philly. Most had him selected somewhere around the 20th pick. Is it a stretch of a pick? Maybe. Maybe not. The kid seems to be a dynamic scorer. But again, a lot of people thought Michkov would take years to come and some doubted that Oliver Bonk was a stretch. And here we are now with Michkov ready to play next year and Bonk is one of the team's best rising prospects.

Finally, we have one more trade to close the night. The Flyers traded the 32nd pick this year to Edmonton for their first-rounder next year. Supposedly, the 2025 draft is going to be a much stronger class. As of right now, the Flyers have three first-rounders for next year. They also have three second-rounders and two third-rounders. Philly picked up an extra second-rounder as Columbus elected to take this year's 2024 second-round pick as a result of the Ivan Provorov trade from last year.

So what can we expect today? More of the same. The Flyers still have seven picks left to go. They could continue to move back and stockpile for the future. They could trade away a player or prospect for a draft pick this year or next year. You can probably figure them selecting a speedy winger or a strong, defensively-minded defender. If they select a goalie, it would be later on as they seem to have a strong stable of goalies down below. I could see Briere loading up on center and defense, two positions that they are struggling with.

So far, Briere is off to a hot start. Let's see if he can keep it up.