Arizona Coyotes Throwback: Daniel Briere

Looking Back At The Arizona Coyotes Vets: Daniel Briere

How Did He Get To The NHL?

Daniel Briere was drafted in the first round, the 24th overall pick in the ’96 NHL Entry Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. After recording some fantastic numbers in juniors, he was promoted to the Coyote’s AHL affiliate, The Springfield Falcons where he split his first four seasons between Springfield and Phoenix. In his first AHL season he accumulated 92 points in 68 games, and still remains third among all Falcons in scoring history.

After Some Hard Work, It Finally Paid Off

At his size (5’9″), he knew he had to sustain himself in a rigid training program to compete in the NHL. Because of his size, he had exceptional speed, and used it to his advantage. After playing in 112 games from the ’97-98 season to the ’00-’01 season, he finally earned a full-time roster position with the Coyotes for the ’01-’02 season. It would be his best Coyotes offensive output, scoring 32 goals, and 28 assists for 60 points. He was effective on the power play as well, lighting the lamp 12 times, while helping his team with 5 game winning goals as well. His two way play was evident in his +/- total of 6.

The Controversial Trade… BIG MISTAKE?

His next ’02-’03 season his numbers were similar just dropping off by 14 points, but his +/- really dipped to -21, showing a lack of defensive coverage. He was able to maintain his power play skills by scoring 4 more this season.

For whatever reason, he was dealt at the trade deadline on March 10, 2003 to the Buffalo Sabres for Chris Gratton along with the teams swapping draft picks in the 2004 Entry Draft. The trade was highly criticized including local radio broadcaster, John Gambadoro who voiced this about the trade:

"[“Trading fan-favorite Danny Briere to Buffalo for Chris Gratton. The Coyotes wanted to get bigger and stronger, and Gratton is certainly bigger and stronger. Although Gratton has played better of late, the trade was a huge mistake for the Coyotes. Briere’s 18 goals and 21 assists lead the Sabres, and he is serving as the team’s captain this month. Plus he is one of the most exciting players in the league on the power play. Gratton has just eight goals and 12 assists, and his -12 rating this year is 10 points worse than Briere’s”."

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Playing Well For The Sabres

Briere went on to play well for the Sabres and was named team captain in February ’04. During the ’04-’05 lockout, he played for SC Bern of the Swiss Nationaliiga A. Since the lockout wiped out the entire season, when he returned to Buffalo for the ’05-’06 season he blossomed into the star NHLer, the Coyotes had hoped he would become.

He proceeded to accumulate a 58 point season in just 48 games. He was out of the lineup for 32 games due to an abdominal injury, which required surgery to correct. The injury culminated from an inadvertent high-stick compliments of Boston Bruins defenseman Brian Leetch.

After his recovery he successfully led the Sabre to their first post season birth in four seasons. During this time period he was nicknamed “Cookie Monster” by play by play announcer Rick Jeanneret for his tendency to shoot top shelf, “where Momma hides the cookies.”

The Sabres advanced to the conference finals paced by Briere’s team high 19 playoff points. In the off season, he filed for salary arbitration, and he collected a one-year $5M contract. The ’06-’07 season saw Daniel perform to the highest level of his career by tallying 32 G, 63 A, for 95 points. His 9 PPG, and 6 GW also showed the talent the Coyotes once coveted.

Big Talent Deserves a BIG Contract

After Briere’s one year contract with the Sabres expired he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers on September 28, 2004. His eight-year $52M contract made him one of three players with the highest paycheck in the NHL. He shared that honor along with Scott Gomez of the N.Y. Rangers, and former Sabres teammate, Thomas Vanek.

His stint with the Flyers was indeed a successful part of his career. He averaged 0.34 Goals a game and 0.44 Assists while there. Briere was always a clutch player during the playoffs as well. To illustrate this: He scored 53 G, 63 A, in 124 playoff games, including a remarkable 12 G, 18 A, for 30 points in 23 playoff games during the ’09-’10 hunt for the Cup.

To Round Out His Recent Transactions:

During the ’12-’13 lockout, he signed with Berlin on October 4, 2012. On July 4, 2013 he signed as a free agent with the Montreal Canadians. On June 30, 2014 Briere signed a two year contract with the Colorado Avalanche, where he currently plays.

In conclusion, the trade that sent Daniel Briere to the Buffalo Sabres by then GM Mike Barnett, was listed as one of the 30 worst trades in the NHL Western Conference history by Sportsnet. I would have been very interested to see what he could have brought to the then Phoenix Coyotes lineup.

Next: Arizona Coyotes Throwback, Volume VI: 2001-2002 Season