brelic Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 With Gomez told to basically stay home and collect $7.3M, and Drury retired, I thought it would be a great time to look back and see their performance since the summer of 2007, aka The Summer Of Three Centermen. IIRC, didn't we have offers out to all 3??? Man, I'm sure glad we got Briere.Not only was Briere the best of the bunch on the ice (at least offensively), but I really do think he was instrumental in providing a calming influence on guys like Giroux (i.e. keeping him away from Richie and Cartsie and the OCC) and Couturier. Money well spent, IMO.Briere8 year contract, $52M, $6.5M annual cap hit.Regular season with Flyers:330 GP, 118 G, 267 A, 385 PTS (1.17 PPG)Playoffs with Flyers:68 GP, 37 G, 35 A, 72 PTS, (1.06 PPG)Status: Active (ok, has a wrist injury, but will be active)Drury5 year contract, $35.25M, $7.05M annual cap hit.Regular season with the Rangers:264 GP, 62 G, 89 A, 151 PTS, (0.57 PPG)Playoffs with Rangers:21 GP, 4 G, 4 A, 8 PTS, (0.38 PPG)Status: Inactive. Bought out. Gone. Salut!Rangers took a $3.7M cap hit last year, and $1.67M this year as part of the buyout.Gomez7 year contract, $51.5M, $7.357M annual cap hitRegular season with Rangers / Habs:354 GP, 53 G, 183 A, 236 PTS, (0.67 PPG)Playoffs with Rangers / Habs:43 GP, 8 G, 26 A, 34 PTS, (0.79 PPG)Status: Sitting at home, fresh from a stint in the ECHL during the lockout.Montreal will buy out his contract at the end of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radoran Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Briere was the first to sign, signed for the cheapest cap hit, and was the most productive of the three.Occasionally, he has also been the "Must Have #1 Center" that we were told we "must have" when they signed him...Overall, good deal - especially given the alternatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brelic Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Briere was the first to sign, signed for the cheapest cap hit, and was the most productive of the three.Occasionally, he has also been the "Must Have #1 Center" that we were told we "must have" when they signed him...Overall, good deal - especially given the alternatives.Absolutely a good deal. Briere has more goals than both Gomez and Drury combined, and he has 385 PTS versus 387 PTS Gomez/Drury combined.In the playoffs, Briere almost doubles the other two combined.I remember that summer, and I don't think Briere was our first choice. I liked him the best of the three, but I think the Flyers FO was more interested in Gomez, were they not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I admit I wanted Drury out of the 3 and had no interest in Gomez. I hated the length of the Briere contract but can't complain about his production, especially his postseason play. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 (edited) I admit I wanted Drury out of the 3 and had no interest in Gomez.Yeah, that's where my head was at the time.I wasn't confident that Briere could become a proper Flyer. But he has generally surprised me with his level of compete and even his "grit" (do routine high-sticking penalties count?), especially when it matters (playoffs).Add in that he has played a key role in (successfully) mentoring his fellow frenchmen (Giroux, Couturier), and I have no complaints about Danny Boy and the good money he has earned as a Flyer. Edited January 14, 2013 by Podein25 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachX Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Yeah, that's where my head was at the time.I wasn't confident that Briere could become a proper Flyer. But he has generally surprised me with his level of compete and even his "grit" (do routine high-sticking penalties count?), especially when it matters (playoffs).Add in that he has played a key role in (successfully) mentoring his fellow frenchmen (Giroux, Couturier), and I have no complaints about Danny Boy and the good money he has earned as a Flyer."(do routine high-sticking penalties count?), " <--- depends on the recipientAs for Briere, overall stats be damned, what this guy has done in the playoffs for the Flyers made him worht every damn dime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radoran Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I liked Drury as more of the "third line"/checking center to take big faceoffs and provide depth scoring. Never saw him as a "#1 C".Never liked Gomez. Have similar reservations about Parise...Of the three, Briere fit the "#1 C" role the best - even if he's only occasionally been asked to play it. He also - as many have noted - steps up big time "when it counts."I do think that these deals represented something of the start of the ridiculous length, long term contracts that have been, in my opinion, bad for the sport, the teams and the players...Hopefully the new CBA will put an end to such shenanigans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky13 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Briere's point totals would likely be even higher had he not been forced to play wing for long stretches in order to accommodate good old Frosted Tips Carter, who refused to make the switch. This always bugged me, because Briere was clearly much more effective at center, whereas Carter plays the same game no matter where you line him up on the ice.Danny has been a class act and a very good performer for the Flyers, on and off the ice, since day one. I wasn't sure what to think when he was signed to that big contract, but he's made a believer out of me.I agree with Rad's point above too, that sometime right around the Briere/Drury/Gomez summer was when the overly-long, mathematically clever contracts started to become commonplace, and hoping the new CBA effectively squelches these. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I remember that summer, and I don't think Briere was our first choice. I liked him the best of the three, but I think the Flyers FO was more interested in Gomez, were they not?Drury was the guy I wanted. Mostly because I thought he was a tremendous leader and reminded me allot of Poulin in that regard. In that final season with Buffalo, Drury and Briere split "C" duties (interesting concept). I never realized that Briere had that much gumption as a "tell it the way it is guy". His time with philly has changed that perception. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Regular season with Flyers:330 GP, 118 G, 267 A, 385 PTS (1.17 PPG)Interesting to see that stat line since it is a common refrain that Briere does not show up for the regular season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Monet Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Got to say I was in the Drury camp for that one as well. Way back in the philly.com days....haI am glad that Briere proved me wrong. Between what he has brought to the org., on and off the ice, a true Flyer all the way around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojo1917 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 One of the cooler things about Daniel Briere is how much he credits his friend Chris Drury for inspiring him to be a better player and leader.I like that 48 enthusiastically mentors younger players, never shies from the clowns that cover the team when things are going poorly and that he plays his best when it matters mos;, he's like the anti-McNabb. The fact that the smallest in stature of those 3 players has had the best fortune since their signings is ironic and a little fortunate too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStraw Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 do routine high-sticking penalties count?Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStraw Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 At the time I would have been happy with "none of the above", but if forced to choose I went with Gomez. Oh well. Since then I've become a big fan of Danny Boy. Class act, clutch when it counts, and his "stick handling" must bring a smile to Clarkie's face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 (edited) @JackStrawYeah, me too, I like that Briere is a dirty little bugger.You have to keep the other, bigger guys honest somehow. He's only 5'4" for chrissake, so he has no choice but to swing his stick around like a demented whirling dervish. Edited January 15, 2013 by Podein25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachX Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 said one demented to the other ... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 @Podein25 5'4"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 @Podein25 5'4"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 @flyercanuckI know he is listed in various places on the Interwebs as 5'10" but I've learned not to trust those places and just trust my own instincts. He can't be much more than 5'4"/5'5" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I know he's small. I never thought of him as THAT small. I figured 5'8"/5'9" ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 @flyercanuckHe's practically a hobbit (NTTAWWT) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Well, he's at the very least, precious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Well, he's at the very least, precious.Lol. Sure, but not as precious as Scottie Upshall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Who is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Ah, good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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