Flyers fire GM Fletcher, Briere takes over as interim

The Philadelphia Flyers fired general manager Chuck Fletcher after four-plus seasons at the helm, the club announced Friday.

Daniel Briere will take over the position on an interim basis, but the organization will begin its search immediately for a GM and president of hockey operations.

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

"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."

The Flyers went 141-145-48 under Fletcher's guidance, making the playoffs once. Philly went to Game 7 of the second round in the postseason bubble in 2020 but followed up by finishing sixth and eighth in the Metropolitan Division over the next two seasons. The down years included three losing streaks of at least 10 games.

Fletcher has been under fire lately after an underwhelming trade deadline in which he failed to sell off any assets to help Philadelphia's rebuild. He also drew criticism over the offseason for signing Rasmus Ristolainen to a five-year $25-million deal and bringing in controversial defenseman Tony DeAngelo on a two-year pact.

Briere hasn't been an NHL GM before, but was named a special assistant to Fletcher last year. He interviewed for the Montreal Canadiens' position before they hired Kent Hughes, and he ran the ECHL's Maine Mariners for several seasons. As a player, he notched 696 points in 973 career games, including 283 in 364 contests over six seasons as a Flyer.