Flyers: Briere on Expectations, Offseason, & the Path Forward

The final page in the book of the 2025-26 season for the Philadelphia Flyers was the end-of-season meeting with the media for general manager Danny Briere. In a season that featured many ups and downs, but ended with an unexpected playoff run that went into the second round, Briere now has the task of finding a way to keep the momentum going for the Flyers’ organization.

That means expectations are going to change. Briere knows that deep down, but also stated that it doesn’t change the offseason plan of trying to make moves that make sense for the long-term.

“It doesn't,” Briere said. “Look, from the time we started we said it was going to be a rebuild and we needed patience. I think we've shown that that's what we've done. Now, if there's a chance to help improve the team and something that makes sense for the long run, yes, we will jump on it. But as far as I'm concerned, it's the same thing.

“We're still in a growth part of the rebuild. What has changed is the experience our guys have gotten. You can't buy experience for 19, 20, 21-year-olds. That I'm really, really excited about. 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.”

So does that mean making the playoffs next season is not the expectation? Briere pumped the brakes on going that far.

“I could tell you no, but I know all the players are going to come back and that's definitely going to be their goal. So I don't want to lower expectations either,” Briere said. “I think they believe they can make the playoffs again. They want another taste of it. So I would think so. I would think that after tasting it, after the experience that all our guys know, going back into next year. “You've got to be careful in how much pressure you put obviously, but that was such a fun run and I think the guys want to experience that again.”

As the Flyers enter the offseason, there is still going to be time to put together more specifics of the plan. But for now, what do the Flyers want to address? What do they need to take the next step? Briere feels not much has changed from one season to the next, other than in goal.

“I think last summer we had said goalie probably in that mix,” Briere said. “I think we have to give credit there to our goalies, they were excellent. We'd like to improve probably everywhere else. You know, the center position, we've talked about the center position before, that's probably still there. Although, you know, it was interesting to see [Trevor] Zegras play there down the stretch, he performed well and into the playoffs. Denver Barkey stepped up and played a couple games in the middle as well, physicality-wise to take another step there. So yeah, the center position is something that we're probably going to look at. If we could improve on defense, we're going to look at that too. So like I said, not much has changed from years past other maybe than the goaltending position."

The thought of looking for improvements at center and on defense has to center somewhat around the power play and the overall lack of scoring the Flyers had, especially down the stretch. Briere attributes the lack of offense in the playoffs to the style of play that comes with the territory, along with Carolina’s stifling defensive structure. Still, Briere feels that the players got a valuable experience of how things change when the playoffs begin.

“In general, in the playoffs, it's a little tougher to create. It's a little tighter,” Briere said. “Everybody's playing a little extra hard. Nobody wants to give you an inch. Every shift seemed to matter. Yes, we would have liked to score a few more goals. Carolina's always been a stingy team and they play hard defensively and they rose to the challenge.

“It's a great learning experience for our guys. And on the offensive side of the game too, how it's played, how tight it is, how the checking goes. I think that was really good for our players, especially our young guys, to realize how hard it is to play in the playoffs and hopefully it makes us a better team next time we're in that position."

But the most valuable lesson Briere took from the playoffs was the reminder that the fans of Philadelphia support this team, and showed it a matter of seconds after the Flyers were eliminated. Briere said the standing ovation following the Game 4 overtime loss to Carolina was something special.

“We always ask a lot about our fans and we ask them to invest in the team and spend money and time to come and see us. What they did last game was truly, truly amazing and I wanted them to know that our players took notice of that,” Briere said. “I probably had seven or eight guys in my exit meetings that specifically mentioned how the fans reacted at the end of the game.

“The comment that kept coming back was that they knew how special it was to play in the playoffs in Philadelphia, but they didn't realize how special it was. The fans really made it that extra special and I wanted our fans to know that what they did, our players noticed."

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.