When have the Flyers patiently accumulated assets and taken a long view?
Only period was when they fired Clarke, and rebuilt in 1990-94.
Hextall started at the 2015 TDL, then stopped, then started again in 2017, then signed JVR.
Flyers have fewer 30+ year old players getting regular ice time than any other rebuilding team other than Buffalo (and they're a disaster area):
Buffalo (1): Zucker
Flyers (4): Couts, Hathaway, Risto, Seeler
Utah (5): Kerfoot, Cole, Bjugstad, Maata, Valimaki
Montreal (5): Matheson, Armia, Gallagher, Anderson, Savard
San Jose (6): Grandlund, Toffoli, Wennberg, Ceci, Rutta, Goodrow
Anaheim (8): Strome, Vatrano, Killorn, Gudas, Dumoulin, McGinn, Johnston, Trouba
Chicago (9): Teravainen, Hall, Foligno, Jones, Mikhevev, Murphy, Smith, Maroon, Brodie
Briere has resisted making moves to improve the team such as trading prospects/picks for a veteran goaltender or center. You know Holmgren would have pulled the trigger on such a move by now.
Which is why inaction is good, to me the optimal outcome this season:
1) continue to play well at 5x5, evaluate the current roster
2) let the goaltenders deep six the season, focus on improving STs
3) move Laughton and Risto at the TDL and/or June, add picks in 2026 and 2027
4) be opportunistic but not desperate, if you can trade for a young center go for it.