Is Briere Tradable?
It is almost inevitable that
Danny Briere will not be a member of the Philadelphia Flyers next year. The only question is whether he will be bought out or traded. The former is the more likely scenario.
Briere has a no-movement clause in his contract, which includes an all-inclusive no-trade. As such, Briere does not have to accept any trade he doesn't feel is in his best interests.
If the Flyers do find a team interested in trading for Briere, it would have to be a club based reasonably close to his permanent home in South Jersey. Briere, a custodial single parent, has said many times that he wants his kids to be able to stay put. Because Briere carries a high cap hit ($6.5 million) but has a moderate remaining real-dollar salary over the next two seasons ($3 million in 2013-14 and $2 million the following season), it would stand to reason that a team with interest with be one that is close to salary cap floor or at least plenty of cap space open for next season to absorb the cap hit.
The only team that meets all of those criteria is the New York Islanders. Considering that they just returned to the playoffs and are looking for ways to go a step further next year, perhaps the Islanders would have interest in the player who was the NHL's leading playoff goal-scorer since the last lockout heading into this season. The New Jersey Devils have too many free agents to sign.
I have to be honest: If I were Danny, I'm not sure I'd accept a trade under any circumstances. Rather than waiving my no-movement clause, it would be in my finanical best interests to accept the 2/3 buyout and then become an unrestricted free agent to sign wherever I please -- at an agreeable salary -- and make up the difference.
Ultimately, hockey is a business. The Flyers will act based upon their own salary cap needs. Briere should act based upon his needs and the needs of his family. He's given the organization his all, both on and off the ice. He owes the team no special favors to "save" them a buyout.
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As of this writing, the 3rd period of the IIHF World Championship quarterfinal game between USA and Russia is ongoing. The Americans lead, 4-1. Flyers goalie
Ilya Bryzgalov had one of those games where he wasn't giving up "soft" goals per se, but looked bad on a couple of momentum save chances were a save was possible if he played it a little better. Bryzgalov was pulled after the fourth US goal and replaced by Colorado's Semyon Varlamov.
In tomorrow's blog, I'll have more on this game as well as the other three quarterfinal games.
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