Fans of the Philadelphia Flyers expected some fireworks at the trade deadline, and boy, were they let down. Many see the Bobby Brink-for-David Jiříček swap as a nice gamble, but hanging onto veteran blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen has enraged even the most loyal fans.
I’ve said for years the Flyers are in Hockey Purgatory. They entered the NHL Trade Deadline with the same record as in 2016. They’re no closer to being a contender than they were a decade ago. I want this team to win, but I’m angry. Tell me when I’m telling lies. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/1GsO2e1eHq
— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) March 7, 2026
General manager (GM) Daniel Brière is starting to lose the room, and it’s definitely deserved. In fact, you could argue that he’s only made one trade of long-term value since being named GM in March 2023. Let’s dive in.
Zegras Trade Is Brière’s Saving Grace
Brière deserves credit for one bold move he made last summer: acquiring Trevor Zegras. If you can land a 24-year-old bona fide top-six forward, that’s a huge win. He should be a valuable contributor once the Flyers are theoretically ready to start contending.
In 61 games this season, Zegras has 21 goals and 29 assists, ranking second on the team in both categories. This is a defense-first team, mind you, so those numbers are excellent. Among all NHL forwards, he ranks 53rd in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) according to Hockey Stats.
Breaking Down the Rest of Brière’s Moves
The rest of his work, though? There’s nothing you can really say he hit out of the park.
You might be thinking, “What about the Ivan Provorov deal? What about Sean Walker? What about Scott Laughton? You’re not being fair at all.” Okay, let’s break down those moves.
If we’re combining them into one, the Provorov and Walker moves netted the Flyers Carson Bjarnason (via a small trade-up), Oliver Bonk, Helge Grans, the first-round pick used to trade up for Jack Nesbitt (22nd overall), and the second-round pick used to land Zegras (45th overall).
To concede a bit, the pick used on Zegras is a big plus here. But after signing a four-year extension, it’s clear that Ryan Poehling was the centerpiece of that deal for the Anaheim Ducks. You can disagree with this conclusion, but I’m not willing to call the Provorov move a massive win because it included the second-most-valuable asset in a subsequent move.
Getting into the other assets, that’s where you’re left yearning for more. The first-rounder, No. 22 overall in 2025, was used to trade up for Nesbitt. With just 45 points in 48 games this season on a strong Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team, it’s hard to see him becoming an impact NHLer at the moment—maybe more of a bottom-sixer. It could happen, but the eye test isn’t doing him any favors, either.
Grans was a throw-in, so we can skip over him. Bonk and Bjarnason, drafted 22nd and 51st overall in 2023, respectively, are the big guns. But when the Orange and Black hope to contend one day, are we 100% positive that they’ll play a notable role in it?
I’ve liked how Bjarnason has looked for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, but at the end of the day, he’s arguably the second-best goalie in the system (Egor Zavragin is ahead). Bonk, meanwhile, projects to me as a No. 5 defender. These two could end up being legitimate needle-movers, but right now, I don’t see that being the case.
Then you have the Laughton trade, which was definitely a good one, especially when you consider the Toronto Maple Leafs flipped him for a third-rounder at this year’s deadline. The Flyers netted a 2027 first-round pick and forward Nikita Grebenkin.
The jury’s out on the 2027 first—we don’t know how that one will be used. Statistically, however, most non-early picks don’t carve out an impactful NHL role. A majority of your actual stars are taken in or near the top 10, yet this pick is top-10 protected. Grebenkin, on the other hand, has struggled to get consistent ice time from the head coach Brière just hired.
Has Brière Done More Harm Than Good?
There’s an argument to be made that Brière’s approach has done more harm than good. While he obviously deserves credit for drafting Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone, there hasn’t been much else, and whatever happened between his management group and Cutter Gauthier is a devastating miss.
Related: Flyers Tried & Failed to Make Cutter Gauthier an Enemy
By trying to stay competitive amid what he himself called a rebuild, the Flyers are still without a true first-line center and, arguably, a long-term top-pairing defenseman. To that point, drafting Martone was technically a misstep, as the team hardly intended to be bad in the 2024–25 season. Without that accidentally disastrous campaign, things would be looking a lot worse.
Brière has valued being competitive over accumulating future assets. He’s done some good things as GM, but perhaps trading Travis Konecny, Ristolainen, Owen Tippett, and others would better serve the contending window of the franchise. Instead, they’re helping the team win essentially meaningless games, which is preventing the biggest needs of the roster from being addressed in the draft.
Am I being unfair to the fourth-year GM? Can Brière’s approach bring the Stanley Cup back to Philadelphia? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!
