The 2023 Philadelphia Flyers offseason was supposed to bring the winds of change among the roster just as it did the front office. Glamorous trades, a rebuild done properly by the new fan-favorite regime, and no more dumb signings. But now that the dust has settled and the moves have been made, it wasn’t quite the oasis most fans were hoping for.
Front Office
Danny Briere
It really should come as no surprise that Briere was in line for the GM title after Fletcher got canned, despite he himself being a part of this very bad front office for the last 12 months. The fans love the former Flyers gimmick (and the organization has to be thankful there’s a significantly reduced amount of pressure on them because of it). Ultimately, time will tell what they have with Briere, but he hasn’t rocked the boat too hard one way or another yet. Could be better. Could be worse.
Grade: C+
Keith Jones
The “worldwide search” for the new President of Hockey Ops concluded just down the hall from Dan Hilferty’s office. TV broadcaster and former Flyer Keith Jones got the gig for… reasons. It’s a modified POHO role where he’s not quite making hockey decisions, but rather has roots on the business side of the front office. If they’re looking for a cheerleader and passion, Jones is as good a hire as anyone. If they want proven results… well…
Grade: C
Trades
Ivan Provorov
The first move the Flyers made during the offseason ended up being their biggest of the summer. Provorov was dealt to Columbus in a three-team trade that landed the Flyers the 22nd overall pick in 2023, a pair of second round picks, defense prospect Helge Grans as well as Cal Petersen and Sean Walker. They got value for Provorov and took on a bad contract in exchange for extra assets. Two smart rebuilding strategies.
Grade: A+
Kevin Hayes
After a weekend filled with some of the craziest rumors the Flyers organization has seen in over a decade, the supposed blockbuster deal fell through when Torey Krug refused to waive his no-trade clause to come to the Flyers. A few days later Hayes was dealt to St. Louis by himself in exchange for a sixth round pick and the Flyers ate half of his contract for the honor of moving him. Hayes the person may be gone, but $3.6 million of that contract will be here for three more years.
Grade: D
Buyouts
Tony DeAngelo
After nearly a month of rumors linking the Carolina Hurricanes to their former defenseman, a deal the NHL ultimately nixed as possible CBA circumvention, The Flyers ended up buying out Tony DeAngelo. The Hurricanes retracted their trade offer, rumored to be a depth AHL center in exchange for retaining 50% of the last year of DeAngelo’s contract, a deal that was supposed to happen on July 9, but never did. A buyout cost the Flyers $1,666,667 against the cap in 2023-24 and 2024-25, forcing them to take a hit against the cap next season instead of the $2.5 million brunt of it for the 2023-24 season alone. Tony’s gone and Tortorella is happy, but it’s yet another move that will ding the Flyers’ wallets in the dumbest way possible.
Grade: D
Entry Draft
Matvei Michkov
Months of speculation and weeks of will they/won’t they mixed with trade rumors galore, somehow the Flyers managed to walk away with Russian forward Matvei Michkov seventh overall. Now comes the hard part, waiting potentially three years and hoping they can get him to North America in the first place. At least they didn’t try and big brain the draft pick when all the stars aligned in their favor.
Grade: A+
Oliver Bonk
Bonk is a 6’2, 175lb two-way right-handed defenseman who had 40 points in 67 games with the London Knights of the OHL. This one was deemed a “safe” pick for the Flyers in the late first round. For a team that could use all the help they could get at RHD in the future, snagging one in the first round should go nicely towards replenishing their pipeline in a few years down the road.
Grade: B
Carson Bjarnason
He was the top rated North American goaltender in the draft. The development projection of goaltenders is no easy feat, but snagging the guy with one of the theoretical highest potential on draft day is a good way to hopefully get a solid player a few years down the line.
Grade: B
Everyone Else
Let’s face it, most of these guys are never going to play in the NHL, but the Flyers drafted a bunch of boom-or-bust smaller players with high upside. They drafted two goaltenders, three centers and three right-handed defensemen after Michkov, which were their three biggest positions of need in the pipeline. Time will tell how these picks pan out, but most seem to agree it was an overall solid draft for the Flyers.
Grade: B
Free Agency
Ryan Poehling
The Flyers need some main roster center depth, and 24-year-old Ryan Poehling, the former 25th overall pick in 2017, has carved out a niche as a sturdy defensive center. Best part of the deal- it’s only one year and he’s a restricted free agent at season’s end. He’ll be a big add to the PK, but considering he has just 20 goals and 36 points in 138 career NHL games, don’t expect much else from their new center.
Grade: C+
Rhett Gardner
Who? At the end of the day, the Phantoms desperately needed some center depth with the departures of veterans Cal O’Reilly and Artem Anisimov, so Gardner was brought in to help them out. It’s a two-year deal, but unless injuries strike on the main roster, we’ll probably never see this guy in the NHL.
Grade: C
Garnet Hathaway
Just what the Flyers needed, more bodies at right wing! There’s a time and a place for players like Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers, but the Flyers aren’t there yet, so the fact that they doubled down and added another depth enforcer to the mix doesn’t make much sense, for two years nonetheless.
Grade: D
Marc Staal
Just… why? There’s at least some level of reasoning with the other three FA signings, but there’s just no good reason 36-year-old Marc Staal is a Flyer right now. He’s a left-handed defenseman serving a *theoretical* depth role, something that should’ve already been taken up by Nick Seeler. Even Briere himself admitted he’s friendly with Torts and could help get his message across to the room. If they have to bring in a random washed up veteran to translate for his head coach, this team may have bigger problems.
Grade: F
Overall
The rumor mill was loud and the anticipation was high, but the action certainly didn’t meet the high expectations the Flyers teased. The Provorov trade was very good and drafting Michkov at seven was awesome, but everything else just fell flat. They didn’t tear down, or even manage to move one more key main roster piece for assets. They didn’t open up any main roster spots for their NHL-ready prospects. They slightly leaned into the “rebuild” the organization has been talking about, but not hard enough to ignore the one-foot-in-one-foot-out no man’s land they’ve been stuck in for years is still very much alive and well.
The first summer may have just been about Briere biting the bullet and making some of the necessary but unsavory moves to make his life a little easier down the road, but with only the Provorov trade to looking like a net positive, it does sprinkle at least a bit of doubt as to whether or not this former Flyer front office is ready for the spotlight just yet.
Grade: C-
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
Photo credit: Getty Images
brotherlypuck.com 