BUFFALO, NY – Daniel Briere is considered one of the largest commercial acquisitions in Buffalo Sabers history. In the HSBC Arena he became an NHL star.
There, on Tuesday afternoon, Briere made the first trade of his career as he strode through the 100-level hall.
The Philadelphia Flyers’ new general manager didn’t make it easy. The three-way deal sent defenseman Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets, brought back goaltender Cal Petersen, defensemen Sean Walker and Helge Grans and three draft picks, and sent winger Hayden Hodgson and defenseman Kevin Connauton to the Los Angeles Kings.
As the sun set over Fort Erie a few hours later, Briere sat in an upscale restaurant overlooking Canalside and couldn’t help but smile. It was a surreal moment for the former Sabers co-captain and All-Star Game MVP. He couldn’t help but recall how it felt when he was first traded when the Phoenix Coyotes traded him to center Chris Gratton on deadline in 2003.
“I remember when I was traded to Buffalo,” Briere said. “It was a weird feeling because when you hear it for the first time, it’s a moment of rejection. Your team says, “We’ll get rid of you.”
“Then a few minutes later the other team calls and says, ‘You come to us.’ Were excited. Welcome.’ You are still wanted.”
Briere was on the other side of the phone on Tuesday. He sat down with The Athletic to explain how his first trade failed.
Please note that some of the questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Why is it so difficult for you to hide that smile?
First off, this is my first trade and it was very complicated. I’ve never made a two-way trade before. I need a little roadmap to explain it to you. I guess I couldn’t start with a simple trade, one player for one player. I had to go really deep I guess. That’s why I laugh.
How did the experience begin for you?
Trade began with us and Columbus. Then we realized we needed help to close the deal and so a third team came to us to do it. Now every team gets a little of what they were looking for. Columbus gets the best player in the business. LA gets some cap relief and some players. Our aim was to acquire young interested parties and withdraw capital.
How long did it take?
I’ve been talking to Columbus about Provorov for a few weeks. They were obviously interested, but we couldn’t close the deal. We needed help regarding the cap. (Kings GM) Rob Blake was the first person I approached and he was very receptive. It made sense to him; it made sense to us.
So when you do your first trade, how do you know who to trust if you’ve never done the dance before?
It was interesting. I have a little experience with Rob Blake. When I was in my early 20s, I was training in California and he was there. I have known him for many years. He was also close with Pat Brisson who was my agent. I had faith in Rob from the start. As for (Blue Jackets GM) Jarmo Kekalainen in Columbus, I’ve gotten to know him in the last two and a half months since my appointment as GM. It just goes to show how well we all worked together that no one knew what was going on until the trade was announced.
Were you close to making a trade before this point?
No, there were no talks until the end of the season. I got in after the close and this was the first real negotiation.
What role did new Flyers president Keith Jones play in this process?
He was great. Keith has many contacts. He was very helpful in opening doors. He is known throughout the hockey world and has been a great support to us. He had feedback on everything we should do. What I’m most proud of is the way all the departments on our site came together: management, pro scouting, amateur scouting, even our analytics team had some great ideas to negotiate this deal. It wasn’t just, “Danny Briere made a deal.” It was a collection of talented people.
Does this trade make the job official?
(Laughing) I’m glad the first one is over. i can go on
When did you know you wanted to be a GM?
I don’t know if I ever really wanted to be a GM. I was open to anything. All I knew was that I was more focused on management than coaching. I knew that from the start, but I never knew what position I would take.
The reason I’m asking is that with all the universities that offer sports management (programs) and (how) to get ahead with an MBA or a law degree, there are a lot of people getting into the industry, because… The idea of making player moves is exciting for them.
It’s not about taking the steps. For me, it’s about putting the building blocks together through a vision and working with people. That’s what I love, pursuing a common goal. It’s about winning together. That’s the thrill for me. So this isn’t about my first trade. It’s about how we all worked together.
How did it feel when the process escalated?
There’s a little thrill in feeling like you’re close to a deal and having the traction you need. I’m not trying to figure out when is the right time to be happy about it or not because there have been many different conversations over the months. But it definitely felt a bit different when I woke up today, talked to these guys and was able to wrap it up.
How did the phone calls with the players involved go?
I had to call the players we wanted to drop off and that was awkward. That wasn’t that much fun. But then you call the other guys and you’re happy to welcome new players to the team. These calls were a little easier to make.
Throughout the process, since it was your first time, how did you look back on how other GMs you’ve been exposed to would have done it?
I look back on many of these GMs that I’ve dealt with on the outside throughout my career. Darcy Regier had a specific policy in Buffalo. Paul Holmgren did things his way and was very aggressive because (we) were able to win in Philly. Marc Bergevin wanted building blocks when I came to Montreal and was more interested in characters. My senior year playing in Colorado, I was with Nate MacKinnon at the beginning of their rebuild. It was all very interesting to see along the way and allowed me to take the best of what I saw from the various GMs along the way.
There is an old saying that when a good deal is struck, all parties end up a little dissatisfied. With that in mind, what can you take away?
You see, we had to give up a lot to get what we got. This is the important part of a trade. But I hope that all three teams emerged from this situation happy and got what they were looking for and needed.
How will your new assets fit into the Flyers’ master plan?
We have three top picks and one prospect that we’re going to find out more about. We now have the seventh and 22nd pick in this year’s draft. Grans is only 21 years old and was voted into the second round in 2020. And then we have two veterans who can come and help our young guys. I’m happy with what we got, but we lost the best player in the deal. That’s always a bit scary.
For me it’s a rebuild, but I don’t believe in demolitions. We don’t have to strip everything completely. I want some experienced leaders to show young people what it means to be a professional and take care of yourself. This is important for young people. I want to be careful with that. I don’t want to lose on purpose. I don’t believe in gas. I want our team to keep playing hard, being competitive and pushing. It will be our task to find the players surrounding them.
(Photo: Matt Slocum / Associated Press)