With hindsight, do you sign Briere again?

[BillyShoe1721]

Now that Briere's tenure as a Flyer has come to an end, I think it would be a good time to review the contract that was so lambasted and controversial around these parts. Knowing what we know now and assuming you knew Briere would bring exactly what be brought in his tenure here, would you have signed him to that contract? Same contract, amount, term, clauses, etc. Either you get exactly what Briere gave us, or you don't get him?

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[Garbage Goal]

I can't confidently say anything since I wasn't nearly the fan I am now back then (meaning I wasn't much of one) so I can't know the circumstances such as who was available at the time. Still, we never won a Cup with him (which is always the ultimate goal) and he's always been a one-dimensional player in that all he's ever been good for is producing offensively.

There's also the injury issues we had with him.

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

I was okay with the Briere signing at the time (I wonder if I was a regular poster then; it's pretty close... joined in '04, but didn't really start posting until '07 or '08). It worked out similarly to how I thought his time in Philly would go down: worth the cap hit in the early years, but a decline towards the end leading to a trade to a team needing to reach the cap floor. Instead of the trade, the Flyers get to use a special buyout.

I think the best part of the signing is that the Flyers landed Briere instead of Gomez or Drury, neither of whom I wanted any part of. I was somewhat on the fence about Briere due to his noted defensive deficiencies, but figured he would at least be surrounded by players who could mute them (specifically, Gagne, actually).

With hindsight, it's a no-brainer. His contribution to the run in 2010 will never be forgotten... and his goal to tie Game 7 against Boston is one of my all-time favourite Flyers goals.

 

[Adam Warlock]

I was against signing him at the time, I was pretty angry that they did and for so long.

However, now I am very glad they did sign him. His overall production might not have lived up to his contract, but he put on some of the greatest playoff performances I have seen in any sport. The 2010 cup run was definitely the greatest thing I have witnessed as a sports fan, and he was big reason for that. Add the fact that he is a stand up guy, I don't think I can ask anymore from a player as a fan.

I am gonna miss him. I would love if they acquired him for a playoff run before he retires to see some of that magic again...would love to see him with a cup.

 

[ahthorne]

I would have done many things differently, signing Briere was not one of them. I don't think he gets amnestied if the roster wasn't a mess.

 

[Random Forest]

A hundred times over.


Hindsight is not exactly necessary to judge this one either. With front loaded deals, it is known from the second what the outcome will be. A few years of great value, then a decline, then a couple years where the cap hit is far greater than the player's contribution merits.

That holds true for almost every single long term, front-loaded deal that has ever been signed.

Can anyone name one front-loaded deal that ended in happiness in the last couple years of the deal?

 

[Snipsnap12]

If only we had a goalie in 2010, the flyers would have won a cup and brieres 30 points and clutch scoring along the way to winning it would have cemented him as a modern flyer legend.

 

[Random Forest]

If only we had a goalie in 2010, the flyers would have won a cup and brieres 30 points and clutch scoring along the way to winning it would have cemented him as a modern flyer legend.

If Emery never gets whatever freak condition he had, a lot of things may have been different.

 

[Pantokrator]

When we got Briere we needed a #1center and paid for it. He gave us what we expected, I think. I think the team would have been worse if we didn't have him, so I'm fine with it.

 

[FlyerFire]

The poll pretty much validates Briere's importance at least to some of the Flyer fans.At the time I wasnt enamored with the deal/length. But now I have changed my mind. Not only was he a good player/ super playoff performer, he was a good person, great locker room presence and overall great for the Philadelphia younger players and community.All the garbage talk about diving from loser hf opponents are history.Again Thanks Danny for your service here!!!

 

[CutOnDime97]

Yes

 

[Alchemy]

Hell yes. Age just caught up with him but he did great things for the team and community.

 

[KimiFerrari]

I'd do it all over again, just for that offside goal he scored against the pens in the 2011-2012 playoffs. It completely changed the series and aggravates pen fans.

 

[healthyscratch]

Easiest poll ever.

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

Aside from last year, it worked out fine with me. I'd do it every day of the week, especially since the buyout happened as well.

 

[Flyotes]

Big yes.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Easiest poll ever.

Seriously, I thought about it for a nanosecond.

Who are the two people who voted no? Why?

 

[healthyscratch]

Seriously, I thought about it for a nanosecond.

Who are the two people who voted no? Why?

No
Garbage Goal, Hufi


Don't know Hufi and Garbage doesn't surprise me, he hates everything.

 

[Haute Couturier]

Seriously, I thought about it for a nanosecond.

Who are the two people who voted no? Why?

I am the 3rd no. To me this is a clear cut no just as most of you believe this is a clear cut yes.

While Briere's contract wasn't the disaster that the other two centers received that summer, it was the beginning of Holmgren's cap problems. What has constantly been overlooked is that Holmgren had too many dollars committed to the center position and Briere was the most expensive while being the least valuable of their centers. He was their highest paid player while never coming close to being their best player except one year in the playoffs and perhaps his first season here.

It's also overlooked that they did not really need a number 1 center. They were simply too impatient to let Richards and Carter develop after only two seasons in the league. They had a short term problem and fixed it with an expensive long term solution. It was simply bad business in terms of the cap.

I get why why fans are so fond of him because he is a flashy player, but the cap geek in me hated that deal from day one.

Do I do that deal again? Hell no without hesitation. That $6.5M could have gone towards another defender which is what they needed and constantly chased (nothing ever changes). I find it ironic that people ***** about their constant focus on centers instead of defense yet fail to realize how problematic Briere's contract was.

The worst case scenario if they didn't sign Briere is that they would have ended up with Doughty or Stamkos. I don't think there is a person alive that would take him over either of those players.

 

[healthyscratch]

^Fail^

Who wants to take this one? I'm sure the line will be long.

 

[Haute Couturier]

Who wants to take this one? I'm sure the line will be long.

Let's see you form an intelligent argument to refute it.

 

[healthyscratch]

Let's see you form an intelligent argument to refute it.

On my phone, I don't have the time...

But one quick question, and there's plenty... the 2009-10 Cup Finals run? Enjoy it? Without him we don't sniff the finals, maybe not even the playoffs.

 

[Philadelphia Ducks]

Worst case scenario? I think you mean best case scenario. And there was no way we woulda got either of those players. I don't even know how you can link the Briere signing to us losing out on the chance at getting Doughty or Stamkos, wtf.

While his cap hit was pretty high, wasn't Briere signed the first year the cap came out...maybe it was the second, I don't know? GMs didn't fully understand it, no one could have fully understood how those contracts would pan out and how high/low the cap was going to rise/fall. But Briere brought a lot of positive **** to this franchise on and off the ice, I think it is safe to say that if we never had Briere, Giroux wouldn't have developed into the player that he is today. 100% I would do this deal over again.

 

[JohnnyOnTheSpot]

I'd do it twice more! Biggest negative of this deal (declining back end) is being negated by the amnesty, making it even more of a no-brainer. Hell, I'd do it for the 2010 run alone.

 

[Random Forest]

If we don't sign Briere, we don't even sniff the SCF in 2010. We had a stacked roster that year, and we still needed Briere's heroics to get us to the dance.

Not signing Briere doesn't fix any of our other issues either.

HC-- you argue that not signing Briere would allow us to focus on our other issues. But all I ever see you argue is that we need to fix our problems through development. Not signing Briere is not a means to that end. It doesn't even make sense. How are the two related in any way?


It has nothing to do with him being a flashy player. That's not why this poll is ridiculously lopsided. This poll really has one answer and the reason for that is because Briere got us closer to the Cup than we would have been without him.

EDIT: And if you choose to respond to this post, HC, I'd like you to answer the question above. How was Briere related to us not being able to resolve our deficiencies? First of all, we had Pronger and Timonen in the lineup for a time. Doesn't seem like Briere hindered our ability to acquire D like you implied.

EDIT #2: I'm re-reading your post and literally loling... In 2010 our top 4 on D was outstanding. Possibly the best in the league. Revisionist history to the absolute maximum on that post...