Coyotes still paying for Briere trade

Danny Brire stood solo in the cold Denver night. Tears streamed down his cheeks as the rest of the Coyotes boarded a team bus on which he was no longer welcome. I remember it like it was yesterday, Brire said Thursday. That was tough. Following a 2-2 tie with the Colorado Avalanche on March 10, 2003, then-general manager Mike Barnett informed Brire that hed been traded to Buffalo for center Chris Gratton in a deal that also included draft picks. The idea, at the time, was to get bigger up the middle to compete against the Western Conferences burly middle men. For the 25-year-old Brire, logic took a back seat to emotion. Id never been traded, and I didnt want to leave, he said. I made a lot of friends in Phoenix. It was my home. Id never had that feeling before. When they tell you they dont want you any more, its a feeling of complete rejection. Its amazing how eight years have altered that perspective. Looking back, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to my career, Brire said. It was just tough to see it at the time. Briere makes a return to Phoenix on Saturday as the Coyotes host the Philadelphia Flyers at Jobing.com Arena. The game also brings Ilya Bryzgalov back to Phoenix for the first time since the Coyotes dealt his rights to Philadelphia this summer when it became clear they could not afford to re-sign him. Given the eyebrow-raising comments a few of the Coyotes made about their former teammate, and given the nature of Bryzgalovs departure, he figures to the primary focus of attention on this night. But the Coyotes have moved on. Bryzgalov is old news. In case you hadnt noticed, his much cheaper and locker-room friendly replacement, Mike Smith, is playing at an All-Star level. Through Thursdays game in Winnipeg in this week of acrimonious reunions Smith was tied for first in the NHL in save percentage (.936) among goalies who have played more than half their teams games, and tied for third overall. Bryzgalov isnt on the same statistical map. With Smith back-stopping them, coach Dave Tippett driving them to new heights and general manager Don Maloney making all the right moves, the Coyotes are once again confounding the experts with another playoff-worthy club thats playing water-tight defense. The teams young, mobile defenseman are improving on a weekly basis, forwards Ray Whitney, Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata and Daymond Langkow are providing just enough offense, and the penalty-killing unit has been among the leagues best all season. The Coyotes are so close you can feel it so close to breaking through and getting that elusive, Valley-first playoff-series win. So whats missing? The same thing thats been missing for all 15 years in the Valley depth of skill up front, one or two more playmakers, one or two more guys like Brire. Hed look good, Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. He looked good when he had him, and Im sure hed be great to have now. Obviously, when a teammate and friend gets traded youre surprised. You understand, though, that it is part of the business, and thats the way it goes. Id love to have him on my team still. When this was suggested to Brire, he laughed with genuine embarrassment. I dont know if I would change anything about that team, he said. I dont think theyre very far from being a powerhouse. The way Tippett has them playing, theyre dangerous. Just imagine how much more dangerous theyd be with Brire, one of two Coyotes first-round draft picks in 1996. One year after the Coyotes traded him, the NHL went into a lockout during which several rules changes opened the game up for smaller, more-skilled players. In the new NHL, Brire has flourished. In the first season out of the lockout, he notched 58 points in 48 games. The following year, he posted a career-high 95 points in 81 games with Buffalo. Last season, he had 34 goals and 34 assists for the Flyers, with whom he signed as a free agent after that monster year in Buffalo. The new rules have really helped the smaller guys, Brire, 34, said. One of the keys for me is skating and moving my legs. When I get in trouble is when I stop skating, become stagnant. Then Im like everyone else and not having the size hurts me. I was blessed with physical talent in hockey, but what really will set me apart is my skating. There are many reasons to rue the Wayne Gretzky-Mike Barnett era in Phoenix -- poor drafting, poor free-agent signings, poorly timed trades and poor on-ice management among them. But given his subsequent success, Brieres name is near the top of that list. Not only has he proven to be the player the Coyotes thought he might be, he was the kind of teammate they wanted the kind Bryzgalov was not. Danny is one of the better men in the game, Doan said. You couldnt have asked for a better teammate. Hes a guy I really enjoy and have remained good friends with. Hes a class act. Barnett and then-coach Bobby Francis thought they were improving the club by dealing a player who would never reach his potential. Eight years later, its the Coyotes, not Brire, who are feeling regret.