Flyers fire GM Fletcher, Briere named interim replacement

The Philadelphia Flyers fired general manager Chuck Fletcher on Friday, promoting former player Daniel Briere to fill the role on an interim basis.

The move comes with the Flyers sitting second last in the Metropolitan Division this season with a 24-30-11 record in their first year under head coach John Tortorella.

Philadelphia is on track to miss the postseason for the fourth time in five years since Fletcher was hired in December of 2018.

Dave Scott, Chairman of Comcast Spectacor and Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers, issued the following statement: 

"The Philadelphia Flyers organization has always been defined by grit, determination, and a standard of excellence," Dave Scott, 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.

"In the coming days, we will begin the process of re-structuring our Hockey Operations Department by separating the President and General Manager positions. We view this as a critical opportunity to not only re-establish the standard of excellence that our fans expect, but also to bring new energy, accountability, and strategic vision to our organization.

"As Interim General Manager, Danny Brière will oversee Hockey Operations. 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."

Fletcher, 55, faced criticism for his lack of moves at the trade deadline as pending unrestricted free agent James van Reimsdyk was among the players to stay put last week.

"I'm not worried about my job — whatever happens with me will happen with me. That's up to Dave Scott," Fletcher said after the deadline. "But everything I do is about doing what's right for the Philadelphia Flyers and not taking shortcuts, and that's in part why we didn't make any more deals today. The deals that were presented to me were not good deals for the Philadelphia Flyers.

"Last summer, being more aggressive was not going to be good for the Philadelphia Flyers. Maybe in the short run, it makes me look better. But we don't want band-aids anymore. We want to build this the right way and we're committed to doing it.

"Those are my words; my actions will have to back it up, but we're committed to doing it."

Briere, who retired in 2015, has been working in the Flyers front office since in 2017 and was named special assistant to the general manager last season.

The 45-year-old spent six seasons with the Flyers during his 17-year NHL career.

More details to follow.