Dan Campbell I recently said that he will be retiring shortly because of….
when the Detriot Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell announced his retirement.
Talking about the team at this midpoint of the regular season—what’s gone well, what could be improved, and how Flyers general manager Daniel Briere might have approached the upcoming trade deadline differently—was the original plan for their Wednesday morning meeting with the local media. Briere is known for leading his overachieving team to a postseason spot. That sort of thing.
But in the last eighteen hours, new headlines have changed all that.
Shortly before the Flyers’ home game against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, the team released a statement announcing goalie Carter Hart’s leave of absence for personal reasons.
In order to address allegations of sexual assault, Briere opened his brief appearance before the media on Wednesday by referencing a report from Toronto’s The Globe and Mail that said five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team had been told to turn themselves in to London, Ontario, police.
We are aware of the press reports from this morning on a very serious topic. We will respond appropriately once the investigation’s conclusions are made public, said Briere. The NHL has made it very clear that teams must contact them with any questions about investigations. In the meantime, all organization members—including the Flyers players—will refrain from speaking further. That’s the most we can say for now.
Briere declined to go into detail in response to any more questions about Hart. He did, however, address the goalie situation facing the Flyers.
He said, “This week, Cal Petersen and Sam Ersson will be our two goalies at this moment.”
With just 26 games played for the Flyers in his sixth NHL season, the 25-year-old Hart is 12-9-3 with a.906 save percentage and 2.80 goals against average.
“Carter Hart was having a very solid season up until this time,” said Briere.
Briere expressed confidence in Ersson’s ability to manage a bigger workload while also cautioning against putting too much on his plate, even if the 24-year-old looks to be enjoying a breakout season and is pushing Hart even before this week’s events.
Since November 18, Ersson’s stats are as follows: 16-10-4,.921 save percentage, 2.08 goals against average. His goals-against average and save percentage rank fourth in the league among goalies who have appeared in at least ten games this season.
Briere said, “Sam Ersson has made considerable improvement.” “We have to use every effort to protect him. He continues to improve and is still developing into a respectable young goaltender. As we discover more about Carter’s situation, we’ll need to proceed with care, but we’re excited by his performance and his capacity to keep us entertained.
Briere has demonstrated a resolute dedication to the future ever since he was appointed permanent general manager in the summer. He admitted that nothing has changed, but he also said that the Flyers have pleasantly surprised him thus far.
