Truth & Rumors > NHL

Two frontrunners for Briere?

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The thought is that this loss in the Eastern Conference final may have been Daniel Briere's last twirl on the ice in Buffalo uniform. The 29-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and there are rumours that both Philadelphia, where his close friend and former roommate Martin Biron now plays, and Montreal will be among the teams making a substantial pitch for him.

Toronto Star

Daniel Briere, AP Daniel Briere, AP
May 21, 2007  08:47 AM ET

I hope Briere comes to Philly, althought, I do like Gomez a lot also

May 21, 2007  08:48 AM ET

I hope Briere comes to Philly, althought, I do like Gomez a lot also

May 21, 2007  09:20 AM ET

i would see briere and richards going to montreal. there goes 13$ M

May 21, 2007  12:23 PM ET

What else is new in Philly? They always throw dumb money around (Hatcher, Rathje, Roenick..etc) Briere is not a 7 million/year player. He is slick, fast and creative, but really soft and not physical. If I am Buffalo, I say bye-bye to Briere, focus on resigning Drury in the 5-6 million range and add another centreman through free agency. If Philly wants to toss 7 mill at Briere, have him.

May 21, 2007  12:50 PM ET

Agreed, joec...I think Briere is a wonderful player, but mostly as a complimentary one...I think he'd be a great fit on the Canucks, but so few players in the league are worth the kind of money Briere might be getting from Philly/Montreal...if Philly, who did a great job of trimming the payroll this year, starts up with bad habits it would be a waste of developmental time for Richards/Carter, etc...I don't think Briere is worth more than 3 to 3.5 a year, and if anyone wants to overpay, be the rest of the leagues guest, I guess...

May 21, 2007  01:20 PM ET

Briere WOULD be a complimentary player - see 'Simon Gagne', who has scored more goals in the last two seasons as anyone not named Heatley, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, and Cheechoo.

I think Briere is really slick, but you are right - $7 mil is a bit too high for my liking

May 21, 2007  06:44 PM ET

I wouldn't be surprised to see Drury get 7 mil too.

May 21, 2007  07:41 PM ET

joec is right; don't start again with throwing big money for one guy; give all the young guys a chance (Carter, Eager, Umberger, Upshall), be patient, and if you want to spend bigger money, do it for a goalkeeper, as this was partly the achilles tendon in the last years; look at the playoffs, the goalkeeper is 70%, sometimes even more

May 21, 2007  07:51 PM ET

I cannot see Briere leaving Buffalo. I still cannot understand why they did not click against Ottawa. Maybe Briere was paid too much versus Drury and other forwards. I still cannot understand why Buffalo let Dumont go.

May 22, 2007  10:03 AM ET

Put Briere on a less talented team where opponents can focus on shutting him down and he goes from being a 90+ point guy to maybe a 70-point player. Not worth up to $7m/year IMO...

As for Drury, I think a 4-year, $22 million deal is fair market value for what he offers. I think Buffalo is better off signing Drury b/c they don't necessarily need more offense, but they REALLY need Drury's leadership to help all of their young studs mature...

May 22, 2007  10:51 AM ET

Briere would definitely be a solid fit on the Flyers. Carter is not ready to be a number one center, and the fact that he played well with Upshall at right wing gives the Flyers many posibilities for a second line. That leaves a gaping hole at center for the first line, between Gagne and Knuble, which cannot be adequately filled by anyone on the roster. His skill set compliments Gagne's shooting and two way ability, as well as Knuble's grit, which gives the Flyers a very formidable first line. Although $6.5-7M might be more than his value as a player, it is fair market value for a number one center in the prime of his career.

May 22, 2007  12:02 PM ET

Please take Briere anyone PLEASE. Hopefully he wont show up for you in the playoffs next year when we play you.

May 22, 2007  12:09 PM ET

Rangers would be crazy if they don't go after this guy

May 22, 2007  12:25 PM ET

Briere had a very good season, but the bottom line is this; Buffalo has no beef on the team! The Ducks,Red Wings and the Senators have a little offense and a lot of defense. Trade Briere and get some meat on the defense. THE TURTLE BEAT THE RABBIT......AGAIN

May 22, 2007  01:59 PM ET

After watching the OTT-BUF series, I think Gomez might be a better fit for the Flyers. Gomez is a winner, while Briere didn't do much to get his team over the hump and into the finals. So much for the President's trophy.

May 22, 2007  02:10 PM ET

gomez is most certainly not a winner.

May 22, 2007  02:23 PM ET

i agree with wrobs, briere is what philly needs. we have grit (knuble, richards, kappy). we need more skill. briere, gags and knuble would be a great line. buffalo didn't lose because of briere, they lost because ottawa had more grit and toughness top to bottom. the guy put up 15 pts in 16 playoff games, he wasn't exactly invisible.

also, the nhl is going the way of the nfl in terms of salary cap management. the more elite players will be getting inflated salaries while the grinders get more modest salaries. so 7 mil might seem like too much, but as long as you manage the rest of your payroll accordingly, you should be fine.

May 22, 2007  02:59 PM ET

Good chance Briere stays in Buffalo. I think its going to be hard to keep Drury and if he goes Briere will definately stay even passing up larger offers. He has pretty much established his family in this community and it would take a lot to just pack up and move. Sometimes money isnt everything... its not like the Sabres would insult him with a deal either.

May 22, 2007  03:10 PM ET

If I had to choose those Briere or Drury... gotta go with captain clutch Christ Druuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuury

 
May 22, 2007  05:43 PM ET

I think Buffalo should try to Dump Afino-give-a-way. He is taking-up about 3 mil. There'se enough talent in the organization to make-up for what he brings to the table. The Sabres need a strong character guy. I think the loss of McKee and Grier really showed in the playoffs.

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