Flyers won’t dip into the rental market — The Fourth Period
The Philadelphia Flyers are sticking to their gameplan and are not going to try to escalate their rebuild by making any rash decisions ahead of this Friday’s 3pm ET trade deadline.
Flyers GM Danny Briere is looking to improve his club for the long-term and does not plan on jumping into the rental market to try to find a quick fix.
In an interview Monday evening with NHL.com, Briere confirmed the team’s direction but also admitted that he is listening and open to a multitude of possibilities.
“Listen, you know, I’m not saying we’re against improving the team if it makes sense both for now and in the future,” Briere said.
“You try to stay even-keeled (about your team) as much as possible. You learn that as a player, too. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low. But yeah, at some point we’re going to have to make a decision. We had a skid in late January, early February that kind of hurt us. We’re chasing teams now, which is tough. It’s not ideal. But our guys, that’s what I love about our group, we have a young team but we don’t quit. They keep coming at you. I don’t expect that to change.”
Briere also acknowledged that the majority of moves, league-wide, may not occur until closer to deadline day, given how many teams are still evaluating their rosters.
“Yeah, I think it feels that way at this point,” he said. “We will see. I mean, we’re in no rush to make a decision. You know, what matters for us is obviously the future. We’re still building for the future.”
Teams have been calling the Flyers about veteran defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen, who has one more year remaining on his contract.
The Flyers have set a high price for Ristolainen – believed to be a first-round draft pick, a prospect and another asset – and if a team is willing to pay up, Briere will consider pulling the trigger.
Ristolainen, who ranks No.16 on TFP’s Trade Watch List, does not own any no-trade protection.
