Fletcher fired as Flyers GM, replaced by Briere

Chuck Fletcher was fired as general manager and president of hockey operations of the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.

Philadelphia (24-31-11) is seventh in the Metropolitan Division this season, Fletcher's fifth, and has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs once under him. Fletcher was named GM on Dec. 3, 2018, replacing Ron Hextall.
Daniel Briere
will be interim GM while the Flyers begin the process of filling two separate positions: president of hockey operations and general manager.
"The Philadelphia Flyers organization has always been defined by grit, determination, and a standard of excellence," Dave Scott, chairman of Comcast Spectacor and governor of the Flyers, said in a statement. "Over the past several seasons, our team simply has not lived up to that standard, so today, we will begin to chart a new path forward under a new leadership structure for Hockey Operations.
"This morning, we released Chuck Fletcher from his president and general manager responsibilities. We are grateful for his hard work and dedication to this organization, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward. Chuck faced significant challenges during his time as President and General Manager, including some that were outside of his control, but we have reached a point at which we must move in a different direction and look to the future under new leadership.
"Flyers fans deserve a better team than what they've seen on the ice over the past few seasons, and a clear plan to return this team to Stanley Cup contention. We know that this will be a multi-year process, and we are committed to doing it right, because we want to put this franchise on a path toward winning the Stanley Cup, period."
Fletcher spoke prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3 on what Philadelphia's plan was from there.
"I've had a lot of conversations with Dave and spent a lot of time with him this weekend," Fletcher said on Feb. 28. "I think we all recognize where we're at. We're not making the playoffs this year. I can throw out numbers all day, but on a points percentage basis we're [the] fifth most improved team in the League. Clearly that's nice, but we're still not good enough. We want to get younger and we want to continue to get better. It's not easy to do, but we're going to work hard at it."
Flyers coach John Tortorella said injuries to key players was a big reason why the team struggled during Fletcher's tenure.
"He is the reason why I'm here. I loved working for him," Tortorella said Saturday. " Very intelligent hockey guy. I think takes a hit for some other prior situations, if I could put it that way. Never really had a full team that he expected with 'Coots' (Sean Couturier) and (Ryan) Ellis, and Cam (Atkinson) this year, losing 'TK' (Travis Konecny) this year. Some of the previous drafts put him in a spot when he takes over. A good man.
"Having said all that, he understands the business. I understand the business. It happens. It happens to all of us. You're going to get fired. But I have nothing but respect for the guy. I loved the time I worked with him. I wish I could've worked with him longer."
Under Fletcher, the Flyers reached the playoffs in 2020, defeating the Montreal Canadiens in six games in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round before losing in the second round to the New York Islanders in seven games. Before being hired by Philadelphia, the 55-year-old was GM of the Minnesota Wild from 2009-18. The Wild reached the playoffs six times in his nine seasons, winning two postseason series.
Briere, 45, who was named special assistant to the GM midway through last season, played 973 NHL games during 17 NHL seasons, including six with the Flyers from 2007-13.
"As interim general manager, Danny Briere will oversee hockey operations," Scott said. "He is ideally suited for this role, having served as special assistant to the general manager of the Flyers for the past year in addition to his more than 25 years in professional hockey as a player and in management. He will ensure a smooth transition following Chuck's departure and support the team and head coach John Tortorella through the remainder of the season and into the offseason."
Tortorella coached Briere as an assistant with the Phoenix Coyotes from 1997-99, Briere's first two NHL seasons.
"It's exciting for me to see a young man that's put his time in, I coached him when he first broke in. I've watched him throughout his career," Tortorella said. "First-class person. It's exciting for me to see a guy start in something that he really wants."
Briere and Tortorella have worked together closely already this season.
"We've already spoken about a lot of different things as far as what we think needs to happen with the team," Tortorella said. "Spoken about individual players. Have asked him a number of times this year his thoughts on certain players this year that have struggled, that may have struggled with me. We've had a lot of different conversations about a lot of different things. The conversation stays the same. He happens to carry the GM title right now. A good man loses his job. A good man comes in and takes it."
NHL.com independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report