There’s one simple strategy out there Flyers general manager Daniel Briere can use to speed up his team’s rebuild. It’s a little-known strategy and you can even go as far as to say NHL front offices frowned on it once upon a time. But, uh, considering recent events, that same strategy will fly out of the woodwork.
Know what I’m talking about yet or am I being too cryptic? Ah, come on, now. Think about which team just made the playoffs and is faring rather well against their heavily favored opponents. Not saying they will advance to the second round, but it’s a team whose general manager recently made some major changes to what was once a championship-winning core.
Still stumped? Well, about 1,500 miles away from Philadelphia, give or take a few hundred miles, is a city known as St. Louis. And what did St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong do last summer that helped kickstart his team into one that made the playoffs? That’s right, he added a pair of restricted free agents.
Daniel Briere must play the same game Doug Armstrong played
That’s right, it’s time to start signing young, promising players to offer sheets, and Justin Giampietro of The Hockey Writers listed three who would excite fans in Philadelphia if Briere acquired them. The players in question? Evan Bouchard, Marco Rossi, and Mason McTavish.
Realistically, he wouldn’t snag all three of them, but bringing one over could pay dividends. If I were Briere, I’d also look to take players from more cash-strapped teams, as it would increase my odds of landing someone worthwhile. Or, I would scour players who underperformed last season but have either shown potential or played well in the past.
And think about it: the strategy worked for Armstrong. Neither Philip Broberg nor Dylan Holloway had done much in the NHL during their time in the Edmonton Oilers system. Broberg looked like a bust, and the sheer talent on the Oilers pushed Holloway into the bottom six. When they both got their opportunities in St. Louis, they changed the trajectory of their careers.
Restricted free agents would want to come to a team like the Flyers
Here, you have a rebuilding hockey team that was one of the worst in the league this past season. But they have some talent, plus a player to build around in Matvei Michkov. They’re also starting fresh with a new coach, that core of theirs is young, and their potential reaches somewhere in the thermosphere.
Imagine adding another young player or two via restricted free agency, which may become a gold rush for rebuilding hockey teams. Should that be the case, Briere needs to jump on any opportunity to bring in another quality player or two quickly, before this strategy gets popular because it’s going to become the thing, perhaps as early as this offseason.
And the Flyers, as an organization, are in the perfect position to make additions with younger players. Unlike the Boston Bruins, for example, a team that may try and salvage what it still has to make another run. So, once again, Briere must take advantage of this.