You didn’t think the Flyers turned this thing around just by luck, did you? No, it took a patient, savvy plan by general manager Daniel Briere, who’s been making all the right moves this year as the Flyers make their way back into playoff contention after a five-year hiatus. Briere started by hi ring former Flyer player Rick Tocchet as the team’s new head coach. Then he went out and signed free-agent goalie Dan Vladar, traded for forward Trevor Zegras and later secured forward Christian Dvorak from the open market. Finally he’s been stockpiling draft picks and watching the development of first-round picks such as Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk and Porter Martone. It all adds up to a rejuvenated team that has its sights set on big things. Briere deserves much of the credit for the team’s unexpected turnaround, according to ex-Flyer Bill Clement, who now resides in North Carolina but still follows the team closely. After his playing career, Clement became a respected hockey television analyst, both on the local and national levels. His opinions carried weight with hockey fans near and far. In a telephone interview, Clement said some of Briere’s moves came out of necessity. “Danny wanted a faster team,” Clement said. “And he’s built that. Zegras, [Tyson] Foerster, [Owen] Tippett … they got faster, they got younger and they got more skill.” The goaltending has taken a quantum leap forward with the arrival of Vladar. “The Flyers’ goaltending has really stabilized with Vladar and [Sam] Ersson,” Clement said. “Vladar’s been so good, they’ve been able to hang in games and come back. The goaltending is a big part of that.” Since the advent of the shootout, the Flyers had been the worst team in the NHL in this form of tiebreaker – until this year. Then they started out 5-0 before losing a couple close ones on the road. Zegras and Matvei Michkov have helped greatly in that department. “They had been horrible in shootouts,” Clement observed. “Both Zegras and Michkov have been interesting acquisitions. Michkov was not supposed to be able to get out of Russia and Danny orchestrated that.” All of which brings us to Tocchet, who played for five NHL teams after seven seasons with the Flyers, totaling nearly 1,000 points and 3,000 penalty minutes for his career. “I don’t know if any of this would have happened without Tocchet,” Clement said. “Tocchet is one of the big reasons why they are where they are, in combination with all the different players Danny has brought in.” The Flyers have shown improvement under head coach Rick Tocchet. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker) Clement believes the hiring of Tocchet has helped Briere with the rebuilding process. Having most recently coached Vancouver, Tocchet had good working knowledge of Vladar and Dvorak. “One advantage to bringing in a new coach has, you know that that coach knows about certain players that you don’t know about,” Clement said. “Like, ‘this guy can play and he can really play on our team.’ “Tocchet brought player knowledge, scouting knowledge on other players. Vladar and Dvorak are two examples of that.” One of the reasons Briere hired Tocchet was for his communication skills. “The players didn’t know where they stood with the last coach [John Tortorella],” Clement said. “Rick is a real sensible and sensitive communicator. He loves people and he really cares about people. “That was the thing about [former Stanley Cup winning coach] Freddy Shero. He loved his athletes. ‘Toc’ finds a way to love his athletes, too. Besides understanding the game and having a good staff, he communicates so well.” Clement agrees there is a unique culture in place when it comes to the Flyers. Many ex-players find their way back to Philadelphia. Be it Briere, Tocchet or president of hockey operations Keith Jones, there’s just an attraction to trying to keep the tradition going. Since 1967, only Edmonton’s nine Stanley Cup Final appearances are more than the Flyers’ eight. “It’s one thing to bring the right people back that wore the orange and black,” Clement said. “Because if they’re bright, if they understand the city of Philadelphia, the culture of the Flyers, it’s certainly an advantage.” Briere holds the Flyers’ record for points in a playoff year with 30 (2009-10), so he knows what it takes to win here. “If you bring in someone who hasn’t lived in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area, never played for the Flyers, there’s a learning curve that some don’t master,” Clement said. “They don’t get it. “Having someone who really understands the people, the area, the passion that the fans have for the team and the dedication that is required to be successful as a Philadelphia Flyer, it really helps.” Wayne Fish is a freelance writer. Follow his coverage at www.flyingfishhockey.com ...read more read less