Q&A: Danny Brière on the Aleksei Kolosov situation, Matvei Michkov’s development, and ‘big-game hunting’
In Part 2 of our interview with Brière, the Flyers general manager provided updates on several key prospects and how the team plans to address its lack of a No. 1 center.
While the Flyers on the ice continue to do everything they can to be competitive and push for the postseason, the organization’s shot callers up top remain steadfast that the priority remains the future and building a team that is not just on the fringes of playoff contention but one that that can consistently compete for Stanley Cups down the road.
In his first two years as general manager, Danny Brière has acquired and built some of what he hopes will one day be the foundation to a Stanley Cup contender. With 20-year-old Matvei Michkov, who is just starting to scratch the surface of his immense potential, promising prospects like Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko — who the team is especially high on — not far away, and a boatload of high-end draft picks, the Flyers have a direction and solid base to build from in their rebuild.
With that in mind, we recently chatted with Brière about the team’s future, some of the young players and prospects to keep an eye on, and what he plans to do with seven picks in the first two rounds of June’s draft.
Brière called the fact that Aleksei Kolosov is in the an NHL and not developing in the minors “not ideal.”
The Flyers GM also said that “big-game hunting” goes beyond just adding centers and that the Flyers are looking to add “talent all over.”
He also acknowledged that having seven picks in the top two rounds of June’s draft gives the Flyers options, as they can make all the picks, package them in a trade for star player, or look to move up the draft board.
» READ MORE: Q&A: Flyers GM Danny Brière talks trade deadline, Scott Laughton’s future, and the team’s upcoming RFAs
In his first two years as general manager, Danny Brière has acquired and built some of what he hopes will one day be the foundation to a Stanley Cup contender. With 20-year-old Matvei Michkov, who is just starting to scratch the surface of his immense potential, promising prospects like Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko — who the team is especially high on — not far away, and a boatload of high-end draft picks, the Flyers have a direction and solid base to build from in their rebuild.
With that in mind, we recently chatted with Brière about the team’s future, some of the young players and prospects to keep an eye on, and what he plans to do with seven picks in the first two rounds of June’s draft.
» READ MORE: Q&A: Flyers GM Danny Brière talks trade deadline, Scott Laughton’s future, and the team’s upcoming RFAs Brière
Q: One big question people have is why Aleksei Kolosov is still in the NHL and not in Lehigh Valley? Is it not hurting his development because he’s not playing games?
A: Yeah, it’s not ideal, but I’ll leave it at that.
Q: Emil Andrae and Helge Grans have played well when up. Oliver Bonk will turn pro next year. Hunter McDonald is another name. The blue line has players who probably should be getting NHL time and are progressing does that impact how you handle the deadline?
A: That’s the exciting part for us is the way our defense is shaping up below us. With defense, especially, you’re two injuries away from disaster because you only have six of them that play every night. It’s really exciting to know that Emil Andrae and Grans are very close. Adam Ginning had some really good games with us and he’s still trying to perfect his game down there; I think eventually he’s another guy that we know we will have to make a decision on.
Hunter McDonald keeps doing the right thing, keeps improving, and trending in the right direction. And then we have some really high-end young guys: Oliver Bonk coming next year, and then Spencer Gill the following year. So it’s really exciting to have all these young defensemen trending in the right direction. Yeah, we like it and if we do have to make some kind of a move it’s nice to know that our guys are developing the right way.
Q: You have seven picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft, including three first-rounders. As of today, are you planning on picking with all seven?
A: I’m planning for all kinds of different options. We could pick all seven. We could trade them for players. We could trade them to future years. We could package them to move up. I can’t tell you at this point because you need a dancing partner. I’m not making those trades by myself. But the exciting part is all the possibilities that it gives us. One thing I can tell you is our amateur scouts have worked extra hard this year and have seen more players than they have probably ever seen because of how important this draft is, and knowing how many picks that we have, especially in the first two rounds.
Q: Is ‘big-game hunting’ just going for a No. 1 center, or is that straight down the middle?
A: There’s not very many No. 1 centers around the league or even available, and there’s even less than that. So the reality is, at this point, we’ll have to build it maybe a little. There’s no Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, or Connor McDavid available. So if you find one of those, everybody’s going to jump on them. So the reality is, you have to build it a little differently, and we’re going try to build it with some depth.
Q: Are you expecting to be a big-game hunter at the deadline, or are you looking more at the offseason?
A: Not at the deadline. I would say in the offseason that, with what we were able to do with the contracts with [Joel] Farabee and [Morgan] Frost, it cracks open the door for us to peek. But we still have a lot of dead money on our books for one more year. So it might be tough to do and there’s also the Ryan Johansen case that is in limbo. So there’s still a lot that’s not clarified yet, but we’ll definitely take a peek.
Q: Do you look at some of the other teams that have gone through rebuilds, like the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres, who seemed to have stalled, and think to yourself that you have to be careful what you wish for?
A: Absolutely. We really feel strongly that your culture is very important when you rebuild because you don’t want your team to end up comfortable losing on a nightly basis. So, yeah, we are very aware of what’s going on, but it’s tough. It’s tough to get out of a rebuild. We know that. You need the players to have a big say in it. But we feel our players are developing at the right base and in the right environment.
Q: Is there any message to the fans about the team’s direction and progress?
A: First of all, we appreciate their patience. We know it’s not easy to do, but I hope they can see that we still have a competitive team. We still have young guys that are improving. You look, first of all, at the arrival of Matvei Michkov. I think him being here this year has been so good for his development, to see what the NHL is all about. He’s had some ups and downs, but the ups have been so high, and that gives you reason to believe that we have something special there.
Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, Bobby Brink, the way they have played as a line. Travis Konecny keeps getting better still. And I could go on. There’s so many good things happening there. On defense, we talked about all these players that are trending in the right direction, the young guys that are coming. Travis Sanheim making Team Canada. For how long we’ve heard that the Flyers don’t have a top pairing defense, and we had a guy that cracked Team Canada’s defense pairings. I mean, that’s pretty amazing, and we hope that his confidence will grow from that experience of playing with the best in the world and will help him take another step in his development.
Sam Ersson’s play since Christmas has been amazing. We have a lot of good young players behind him too. So I think there’s a lot to be positive [about]. And I haven’t talked about all our draft picks that are on the way, that are just numbers at this time, they don’t have names yet. To me, it’s very exciting where this organization is going. But again, the tough part is being patient.
While the Flyers on the ice continue to do everything they can to be competitive and push for the postseason, the organization’s shot callers up top remain steadfast that the priority remains the future and building a team that is not just on the fringes of playoff contention but one that that can consistently compete for Stanley Cups down the road.
In his first two years as general manager, Danny Brière has acquired and built some of what he hopes will be the foundation to a Stanley Cup contender. With 20-year-old Matvei Michkov, who is just starting to scratch the surface of his immense potential, promising prospects like Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko — who the team is especially high on — not far away, and a boatload of high-end draft picks, the Flyers have a direction and solid base to build from in their rebuild.
With that in mind, we recently chatted with Brière about the team’s future, some of the young players and prospects to keep an eye on, and what he plans to do with seven picks in the first two rounds of June’s draft.
» READ MORE: Q&A: Flyers GM Danny Brière talks trade deadline, Scott Laughton’s future, and the team’s upcoming RFAs
Q: One big question people have is why Aleksei Kolosov is still in the NHL and not in Lehigh Valley? Is it not hurting his development because he’s not playing games?
A: Yeah, it’s not ideal, but I’ll leave it at that.
Q: Emil Andrae and Helge Grans have played well when up. Oliver Bonk will turn pro next year. Hunter McDonald is another name. The blue line has players who probably should be getting NHL time and are progressing does that impact how you handle the deadline?
A: That’s the exciting part for us is the way our defense is shaping up below us. With defense, especially, you’re two injuries away from disaster because you only have six of them that play every night. It’s really exciting to know that Emil Andrae and Grans are very close. Adam Ginning had some really good games with us and he’s still trying to perfect his game down there; I think eventually he’s another guy that we know we will have to make a decision on.
Hunter McDonald keeps doing the right thing, keeps improving, and trending in the right direction. And then we have some really high-end young guys: Oliver Bonk coming next year, and then Spencer Gill the following year. So it’s really exciting to have all these young defensemen trending in the right direction. Yeah, we like it and if we do have to make some kind of a move it’s nice to know that our guys are developing the right way.
Q: But do you feel pressure to make a move because some of these guys seem ready?
A: No. Not yet. But they are certainly doing their part and at some point, they will force our hand. And yeah, it’s getting closer and closer to that.
Q: Do you expect to sign 2022 draft pick Alex Bump at the end of Western Michigan’s season?
A: We’re hopeful. We’re having discussions with his agent. Nothing has been finalized or formalized yet. But we’re certainly hopeful that he will sign with us, yes, at the end of his season.
Q: There are some forwards in Lehigh Valley like Olle Lycksell — who will be an unrestricted free agent — and Samu Tuomaala who look close to NHL-ready. What’s next there?
A: There in different situations. Tuomaala’s development is going in the right direction. He’s still learning, still has a little ways to go. Lycksell is probably much closer but consistency at this level has been the thing that we need for him to maybe get to the next level. It’s not easy to beat someone out of a spot but he’s definitely close. He had a rough start to the season in the AHL, but in his last, probably 20, 25, games, he’s been excellent. We’re happy to see that, and we hope to give him another look and a real chance to stick at some point. We’d love to see that.
Q: You have seven picks in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft, including three first-rounders. As of today, are you planning on picking with all seven?
A: I’m planning for all kinds of different options. We could pick all seven. We could trade them for players. We could trade them to future years. We could package them to move up. I can’t tell you at this point because you need a dancing partner. I’m not making those trades by myself. But the exciting part is all the possibilities that it gives us. One thing I can tell you is our amateur scouts have worked extra hard this year and have seen more players than they have probably ever seen because of how important this draft is, and knowing how many picks that we have, especially in the first two rounds.
Q: You mentioned ‘big-game hunting’ when discussing why you made the deal with the Calgary Flames. Is that just a center?
A: No. We need talent all over. If there’s something that makes sense that we can bring aboard that would be in one of those key positions, if we can improve it, we’re definitely open for it.
Q: Is that just going for a No. 1 center, or is that straight down the middle?
A: There’s not very many No. 1 centers around the league or even available, and there’s even less than that. So the reality is, at this point, we’ll have to build it maybe a little. There’s no Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, or Connor McDavid available. So if you find one of those, everybody’s going to jump on them. So the reality is, you have to build it a little differently, and we’re going try to build it with some depth.
Q: Are you expecting to be a big-game hunter at the deadline, or are you looking more at the offseason?
A: Not at the deadline. I would say in the offseason that, with what we were able to do with the contracts with [Joel] Farabee and [Morgan] Frost, it cracks open the door for us to peek. But we still have a lot of dead money on our books for one more year. So it might be tough to do and there’s also the Ryan Johansen case that is in limbo. So there’s still a lot that’s not clarified yet, but we’ll definitely take a peek.
Q: There was a hearing about Johansen’s contract recently, any updates there?
A: I can’t speak about it.
Q: Is there a resolution coming soon though?
A: To my knowledge, no. It’ll be a little while or a few months still.
Q: Does the team playing well right now impact what you’re thinking of doing at the trade deadline?
A: No, not at all. It’s good to see definitely. But if you look at the standings, it’s great, we’re now four points out of the playoffs. The biggest problem is how many teams you have to leapfrog. If you’re chasing one team and four points behind, it’s a lot different than when you have to leapfrog five or six teams to get in there. So it’s not changing anything.
Q: Do you look at some of the other teams that have gone through rebuilds, like the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres, who seemed to have stalled, and think to yourself that you have to be careful what you wish for?
A: Absolutely. We really feel strongly that your culture is very important when you rebuild because you don’t want your team to end up comfortable losing on a nightly basis. So, yeah, we are very aware of what’s going on, but it’s tough. It’s tough to get out of a rebuild. We know that. You need the players to have a big say in it. But we feel our players are developing at the right base and in the right environment.
The one thing is we believe it’s not just drafting, and it’s not just trading players, and it’s not just culture it’s that there’s also all these little things that come around. Once you acquire those players, it’s keeping the development part of it moving forward and not stalling. So hopefully we can help them keep growing their games, even after we acquire them, here at this level or in the minors, as amateurs, juniors or college [players].
» READ MORE: Surging Rasmus Ristolainen not focused on ‘things I can’t control’ ahead of Friday’s trade deadline
Q: Is there any message to the fans about the team’s direction and progress?
A: First of all, we appreciate their patience. We know it’s not easy to do, but I hope they can see that we still have a competitive team. We still have young guys that are improving. You look, first of all, at the arrival of Matvei Michkov. I think him being here this year has been so good for his development, to see what the NHL is all about. He’s had some ups and downs, but the ups have been so high, and that gives you reason to believe that we have something special there.
Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, Bobby Brink, the way they have played as a line. Travis Konecny keeps getting better still. And I could go on. There’s so many good things happening there. On defense, we talked about all these players that are trending in the right direction, the young guys that are coming. Travis Sanheim making Team Canada. For how long we’ve heard that the Flyers don’t have a top pairing defense, and we had a guy that cracked Team Canada’s defense pairings. I mean, that’s pretty amazing, and we hope that his confidence will grow from that experience of playing with the best in the world and will help him take another step in his development.
Sam Ersson’s play since Christmas has been amazing. We have a lot of good young players behind him too. So I think there’s a lot to be positive [about]. And I haven’t talked about all our draft picks that are on the way, that are just numbers at this time, they don’t have names yet. To me, it’s very exciting where this organization is going. But again, the tough part is being patient.