Northeast Division: Briere probably not headed to Habs

Briere

No one can blame the Philadelphia Flyers for trying to pawn off diminutive center Daniel Briere and his $6.5 million cap hit on anyone willing to take him. However, for now, the Montreal Canadiens don’t seem to be a landing spot.

As Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette writes: “The 31-year-old Briere is listed as 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, but those figures stretch the truth. There also are concerns about Briere’s health. He went on the injured list three times last season with a variety of abdominal and groin problems.”

Briere spurned the Habs when he was a free agent after the 2006-07 season. Now he’s an albatross on the Flyers’ cap and probably the best move the Buffalo Sabres didn’t make was re-signing him for such an exorbitant sum.

Elsewhere around the division:

•The Sabres have to be pleased that they will not be getting a new neighbor to the north, as Phoenix will not be moving to Hamilton.

•Damien Cox of The Star looks at Toronto general manager Brian Burke’s probable four-point plan to remake the Maple Leafs over the next two weeks.

•Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk reworked his front office yesterday.