New Flyers coach still striving to fill out his staff

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Nearly three weeks after his hiring, Dave Hakstol is still sorting out who will join him on the Flyers' bench as assistant coaches.

One thing is clear: One of Hakstol's assistants from North Dakota, Dane Jackson, will not relocate to Philadelphia.

Hakstol approached Jackson about the opportunity, but Jackson - who played 45 NHL games and coached with Hakstol for nine seasons - declined because of family reasons. Jackson's wife, Carrie, has roots in the Grand Forks area.

"We talked about different options and stuff like that," Jackson told the Daily News. "It'd be an exciting thing to possibly look at, but I've got little kids, and it's a big change. I'm sure he's going to maybe want to bring some of his own guys.

"I think it'd be smart for him to get some NHL veteran guys. He's got a lot of good things about him, but he doesn't have NHL experience. That's the one thing he can add."

Hakstol also offered his other longtime assistant, Brad Berry, a job on the Flyers' bench, but he declined and replaced Hakstol as North Dakota's fifth head coach since 1968. Berry has two seasons' experience coaching at the NHL as an assistant under Scott Arniel and Todd Richards in Columbus.

Both Jackson and Berry earned base salaries of about $139,441 last season, according to contracts obtained by the Daily News. Berry can max out at $446,000 next season if his incentive bonuses are reached, while Jackson's contract is being restricted for a raise. Jackson ran North Dakota's forwards and penalty kill.

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said yesterday the process is "still ongoing."

That leaves current Flyers assistant coaches Ian Laperriere (forwards/penalty kill), Gord Murphy (defense) and Joe Mullen (power play) in limbo. Goaltending coach Jeff Reese parted ways with the team in March with 17 games to play. Of the three remaining, Mullen seems best positioned to stay.

Phantoms head coach Terry Murray, who has more than 1,000 NHL games under his belt as head coach, has said he'd be willing to jump back to the game's top level, but so far no move has been made.

The Edmonton Oilers fired two assistants, Craig Ramsay and Keith Acton, on Thursday. Ramsay, 64, was the Flyers' head coach in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. More veteran assistants will become available soon as coaching staffs shake out - and as Hakstol looks to make his first mark.

Former Flyer Danny Briere is contemplating retirement after an 18-year NHL career, according to reports.

Briere, 37, spent the last two seasons playing in Montreal and Colorado after being bought out by the Flyers in 2013. Briere told Montreal's La Presse French newspaper he'd love to find an Eastern Conference team interested in his services, to be close to his 14-, 15- and 16-year-old sons in South Jersey, but he knows the options are limited.

"I would play. I still love the game, I have a passion for hockey," Briere told the paper. "But there's more to life. I must think of my three little guys. I was a bit selfish the past two years to pursue my dream."

The Flyers owe Briere $833,333 in each of the next two seasons to complete his buyout, whether he plays or not. He earned $8 million over the last two seasons, in addition to his buyout package, but spent time as a healthy scratch with the Avalanche this season.

Should he retire, Briere will go down as one of the most fierce competitors to wear a Flyers uniform, playing much bigger than his 5-9 frame. He tallied 116 points in 124 career Stanley Cup playoff games and netted an amazing 30 points in the Flyers' 23-game run to the 2010 Stanley Cup final.

No player in the last five playoffs has matched Briere's total.

"It always annoyed me to see players who retired and then changed their minds," Briere said. "So I do not want to close the door, as long as I'm not sure of my shot."

Commissioner Gary Bettman pegged next season's salary cap between $70 million and $71 million in a news conference on Wednesday. The Flyers have approximately $64.4 million committed to 18 players for next season . . . No consensus was reached on a rule change for overtime, for a shift to 3-on-3 play, in the NHL competition committee meeting on Thursday in New York. The two sides will continue talking. Flyers chairman Ed Snider is the only team owner represented on the 10-man, joint NHL-NHLPA committee.

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