Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers had a rather quiet offseason.

The trade for Trevor Zegras was a clear risk worth taking, but it flew under the radar between the Stanley Cup Final and the NHL Entry Draft. Then, Porter Martone took most of the headlines as the prospect fell to the Flyers at sixth overall, with a trade up to draft Jack Nesbitt drawing some attention as well.

Not too many big-name players made it to free agency, so Briere and the Flyers were happy to check off their to-do list with a one-year contract for Christian Dvorak and a two-year pact with Dan Vladar, along with some depth signings.

All in all, it was a solid offseason for the Flyers, who were graded by the experts in the B range, which is fair.

However, as we sit here during the four off days at what we’re calling the quarter pole of the season, this past offseason looks like a huge win for the Flyers.

Trevor Zegras reaching his potential in Philadelphia

First and foremost, Trevor Zegras has been even better than advertised for the Flyers.

Zegras is tied for the team lead with six goals and leads the team with 13 assists for a team-leading 19 points through 18 games. He’s recorded a point in 12 of the Flyers’ 18 games thus far, including four multi-point efforts.

Oh yeah, he has also been automatic in the shootout, which has turned into a strength for the Flyers. He is a perfect 3 for 3 and has been helping guys like Bobby Brink improve their shootout moves.

The one drawback is that he’s primarily been playing on the wing or in a hybrid role, but as long as he keeps producing like this, the Flyers won’t complain.

It’s funny to think that all the Flyers had to give up for Zegras was Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. It makes sense for the Ducks as Zegras clearly needed a change of scenery, and the Flyers have to be happy with the return thus far.

Dan Vladar providing answer in crease for Flyers

Goaltending has always been a question mark in Philadelphia. Well, maybe not always, but at least for the last few decades.

Dan Vladar has come in and provided an answer to that question. It’s still plenty early, and Vladar hasn’t played more than 30 games in a season in his career, but he has helped the Flyers steal a few points already through 18 games.

Through 11 games, Vladar is 6-4-1 with a .909 save percentage and 2.42 goals-against average. That puts him on pace to play at least 44 games, and he very well could if he’s able to keep his save percentage above .900 — league average is all we’re asking for.

Vladar’s presence has been especially noteworthy given the fact that the Flyers have a Sam Ersson problem. While Vladar has saved 6.1 goals above expected, Ersson has allowed 4.6 more than expected. It’s a concerning trend for Ersson, but Vladar has given the Flyers a tandem ‘tendie who can hold his own.

Christian Dvorak playing best hockey of career

There were some complaints when the Flyers signed Christian Dvorak in free agency. They were largely about overpaying for him, which doesn’t really matter given the Flyers’ cap space and the fact that it’s a one-year deal.

Is Dvorak worth $5.4 million? No, but it was the necessary price to have him accept a one-year deal rather than going to Vancouver, where he reportedly had a multiple-year deal on the table.

Originally thought to potentially be the fourth-line center, Dvorak is averaging nearly 17 minutes per game (16:53, to be exact), which is the sixth-most among forwards. He’s primarily played in a hybrid role with Zegras, helping the forward develop as a center, and the two newcomers have formed quite the connection.

Dvorak is third on the Flyers with 13 points in 18 games, and is tied with linemates Zegras and Owen Tippett for the team lead in goals with six. His career high is 28 goals and 38 points in 70 games with the Coyotes back in the 2019-20 season, so this 27-goal, 59-point pace for a full 82 games might be a bit out of the realm of possibility.

However, if Dvorak can prove to be a guy who can score close to 20 goals and at least 40 or 50 points while killing penalties, maybe he can stick around or increase his value to trade for a first-round pick at the deadline.

It’s also worth mentioning that Dvorak’s best seasons came under Rick Tocchet, whose presence behind the Flyers bench helped the forward decide to sign in Philadelphia.

Noah Juulsen in third-pair role

The other player who likely signed in Philadelphia due to Tocchet is Noah Juulsen. The defensive defenseman was penciled in on the third pair as soon as he signed in Philadelphia, and the best thing we can say about him is that Tocchet isn’t overplaying him.

Juulsen played a season-high 21:35 in the blowout loss in Dallas, bringing his season average to 13:45 per game. Only Egor Zamula (13:25) has averaged less ice time, so Tocchet is keeping Juulsen’s minutes limited.

So far this season, the Flyers have outscored the opposition 7-6 with Juulsen on the ice at 5-on-5, but that could see some regression as the blueliner has an expected goals share of 42.61%, the 42nd lowest among 425 players with at least 200 minutes played.

Should his minutes be limited even more? Perhaps. And Juulsen could be a healthy scratch when Rasmus Ristolainen is healthy. For now, though, Juulsen will remain in the lineup as a penalty-killing defenseman.