Flyers Reveal Daniel Brière as New GM and Keith Jones President of Hockey Ops

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Thursday they hired Daniel Brière as their next general manager.

Keith Jones will take over as the president of hockey operations as well.

"With this new Flyers leadership in place, we are committed to a collaborative approach on and off the ice," said team governor Daniel J. Hilferty. "The five leaders of the business and hockey operations will work in lockstep across all areas to restore the winning tradition of Flyers Hockey."

Philadelphia had named Brière the interim GM in March following the ouster of Chuck Fletcher, who held both the general manager and president of hockey operations titles.

Brière played 17 years in the NHL, including six with the Flyers. After retiring, he was the team president for the ECHL's Maine Mariners and worked as a special assistant to Fletcher.

With the trade deadline having already passed, there wasn't much work Brière could accomplish on an interim basis as the GM. He indicated he was hopeful of taking over in a more permanent capacity.

"I don't have a problem with the interim tag," he told reporters. "I think [ownership is] going to take the proper time to evaluate who should be full-time in that position. I see myself staying here and being part of the future. I hope they believe in me as well. It feels that way."

The Flyers finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division and collected the seventh-fewest points in the NHL (75) to miss the playoffs for the third straight year. When he replaced Fletcher, Brière said Philly "isn't a quick fix" and getting the franchise back to contention is "going to take a little while."

Now, the 45-year-old will have the opportunity to help guide that process.

Like Brière, Jones is a familiar face to Flyers fans. In addition to ending his playing career in Philly, he has been a longtime broadcaster for the team and was part of TNT's NHL coverage for the past two seasons.

As it became clear this was how Philadelphia planned to structure its front office, The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor raised some concerns, namely the lack of experience between Brière and Jones.

Aside from his brief interim GM tenure, Brière hasn't operated in a high-level executive position within the NHL. Jones isn't the sort of seasoned hand who can guide him in the transition, either.

O'Connor also wondered whether the Flyers would've benefited from looking outside the organizational bubble.

As much as Hilferty will try to present this as a new era for the franchise, plenty of fans will probably feel the Brière/Jones combo is just more of the same.