Danny Briere knows he’s likely facing a buyout
Briere “pushed” things today at the morning skate, he said, and needs to see how he’s feeling on Friday. If he has no symptoms – he hasn’t had any for about four days – then he’ll play Saturday in Buffalo.
Briere is likely down to his final eight games as a Flyer. He’s an obvious option for an amnesty buyout this summer with two years left on his deal at a team-high $6.5 million cap hit.
The buyout would cost the Flyers $3.3 million, or two-thirds of what he is owed, which is $5 million after this season.
Briere’s deal, signed in 2007 as a free agent, was eight years, $52 million.
He admitted on Thursday he’s playing to remain a Flyer, and that he understands amnesty is a legitimate obstacle right now. He almost concedes it’s going to happen this summer, regardless.
“Definitely,” he said. “It’s reality. There’s no doubt about it. But at the same time, those are things I can’t control at this moment. All I can control is for me to come back into the lineup and play as good as I can, to show them. Other than that, I can’t worry about injuries or what they are going to decide to do. That’s out of my control at this point.
“It was agreed by both the players and owners. So no, I can’t complain about that. I end up being the one to pay the price. But you know what, there have been so many good things that turned in my favor over the years that I won’t complain about that.”