Analyst: Daniel Briere would be a good fit with the Phoenix Coyotes
Mar 3, 2013, 6:11 PM | Updated: Mar 4, 2013, 1:41 pm
As it stands heading into Sunday’s action, the Phoenix Coyotes are tied for sixth place in the Western Conference with 23 points. However with a condensed 48-game schedule, 11 teams currently seeded No. 3 through No. 14 are within eight points of each other.
While the Coyotes have not struggled to score the puck in 2013 (2.9 goals per game), the team has not quite with the same level of consistency it did a season ago when it reached the Western Conference Finals.
General manager Don Maloney has not been shy over the past year when it comes to adding centers (Antoine Vermette and Matthew Lombardi) who can push the puck and create chances at the offensive end of the ice, yet the Coyotes could certainly still use an extra piece or two as they look to make their fourth straight trip to the postseason.
Former NHL veteran and current Rogers Sportsnet analyst Brad May recently suggested that a certain top-line center would be a perfect fit for Maloney and Co. before the league’s April 3 trade deadline.
That center would be former Coyote Daniel Briere.
Briere is still under contract with the Philadelphia Flyers until the end of the 2014-15 season and even said this week he had no desire to waive his no-trade clause. Still the 35-year-old is a potent playmaker with more than 800 games and 650 career points to his name.
The Quebec native was originally drafted by Phoenix in 1996 and played parts of five seasons with the Coyotes. While he recorded 53 goals and 47 assists during his time in Phoenix, Briere didn’t reach his All-Star potential until stops in Buffalo and Philadelphia.
It’s an intriguing thought nonetheless, and one fans in the Valley would likely welcome with open arms.
