Friday’s trade deadline is a major early test for Danny Brière and the Flyers’ rebuild

What is Danny Brière to do?

Two days before the first anniversary of him getting the interim tag, the Flyers general manager will have the biggest measure of his short tenure when the clock strikes 3 p.m. ET on Friday. Somewhere in the hockey sphere a buzzer will sound signifying the NHL trade deadline and with it a look at just what is going on in the mind of the 46-year-old.

There will be a lot to dissect once all the trades go through or don’t go through — a friendly reminder, trades have to be in to the league’s office by 3 p.m. but could be approved after. Will Brière add to the five trades he has executed during his rookie year on the job?

» READ MORE: Ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline, the Flyers plan to stand firm on their asking price for players

The short answer is no. The long answer is he really should.

With the team in a playoff spot, the team could, obviously, stand pat and keep the guys who helped them get to this position, a position not many expected when the puck dropped on the 2023-24 season. Here the Flyers are in the playoff bubble, as Brière likes to call it. The good times are slowly rolling at the Wells Fargo Center.

But the team does have several soon-to-be unrestricted free agents who are or will be heading towards the other side of 30 in Nick Seeler and Sean Walker, and veterans who could help playoff teams like Marc Staal (also a pending UFA) and Scott Laughton. All four guys may not fit the Flyers’ rebuild timeline which remains murky.

Trading these guys would bring in more future assets that fit the long-term goal consistently being stressed by Brière and Co. The reported asking price for the guys available, like Walker and Laughton, who both turn 30 this year, is a first-round pick. Brière said on Friday that the weak return landed by the Calgary Flames for defenseman Chris Tanev, “Doesn’t change our asking price. Yeah, it was maybe a little lighter than expected, but it doesn’t change our approach. If teams are not willing to meet our price, and what we feel is fair, you know, we’re a playoff team. We get to keep them and we get to make a run. That’s the way I see it.”

But even adding second-rounders and some prospects could land more core pieces for the rebuild that already includes the likes of Matvei Michkov, Sam Ersson, Cam York, Tyson Foerster, and Owen Tippett.

A big reason why Brière is in the position to be the one putting the Flyers puzzle together is because his predecessor did nothing at this time last year.

OK, sure, Chuck Fletcher shipped out fringe players Zack MacEwen and Patrick Brown, but the expectation from everyone around the league was the floundering Flyers would do the right thing and trade pending unrestricted free agent James van Riemsdyk to a playoff contender. There were also rumors that Kevin Hayes would be moved.

Yet just days after Fletcher said his team would be sellers, van Riemsdyk was still a Flyer as was Hayes. The former GM claimed he didn’t receive any genuine offers for van Riemsdyk, although a deal with the Detroit Red Wings was reportedly inches from the goal line before it ended up collapsing. Fans were rightfully outraged.

If Brière wants to show that it is indeed a “New Era of Orange,” he will make the necessary deals to show the team is actually committed to the rebuild and not rushing things for the sake of a surprising playoff run.

Recent seasons have seen Flyers management refuse to rebuild and look for quick fixes in pursuit of a certain shiny silver object that has never been really close. Sticking with the plan now will signal to the fan base that things are actually different this time around and that the Flyers are building this from the bottom up.

Even as a first-year GM, Brière has already proven he’s not afraid to make changes by trading Ivan Provorov and Kevin Hayes in the offseason and buying out Tony DeAngelo. He also reportedly was trying to move Travis Sanheim and Carter Hart over the summer and then sent a clear-cut message by cutting ties with top prospect Cutter Gauthier after the player indicated he didn’t want to be here.

Brière’s ties to the organization run deep and the former Flyer wanted to come back and help turn things around with an organization close to his heart. Former Coyotes captain Shane Doan told The Inquirer last year that his former teammate Brière is a big-picture guy and was never one to exude fear as a player.

“He scored on a slap shot from just inside the blue line on [goalie Dan] Cloutier,” Doan said recalling playing with Brière at a Canadian World Junior camp. “And I was like, ‘Holy cow, this kid has some big cojones on him, because he’s not afraid of any situation.’”

Time to show it.

» READ MORE: Examining which Flyers could be moved before the trade deadline

Despite having four teams closely chasing the Flyers in the standings, as stated, Brière could maintain the status quo and keep the tight-knit locker room vibes rolling. But he should at least make some tweaks.

Let’s say the team keeps long-rumored trade bait center Laughton, and defensemen and pending UFAs Walker and Seeler — although NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported Tuesday that’s looking less likely — the Flyers still probably need a veteran goalie to back up Sam Ersson.

But even if they add a veteran goalie for a later-round pick, Brière, president Keith Jones, and coach John Tortorella have all been preaching the goal is not just making one postseason run but many. Trading some of the veterans who can help desperate Cup contenders should bring back assets that could help the Flyers build a core capable of doing just that down the road. Keeping older players on expiring contracts, where the Flyers would get nothing if they sign elsewhere, is a lose-lose. It’s better to get something than nothing and after helping to resurrect the careers of Seeler and Walker, the Flyers should get something while their values are at an all-time high.

The Flyers are not winning the Stanley Cup this season. Everyone can agree on that – MoneyPuck.com has it at 3% as of Tuesday with just a 31.8% chance they’ll make it out of the first round. Brière has said all the right things, consistently preaching patience and the long game with the Flyers, we’ll see if he follows through with actions by Friday.

» READ MORE: NHL trade deadline: The Flyers can’t afford to trade their ‘glue guy,’ Scott Laughton