Forward Danny Briere and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov have one thing in common: the Philadelphia Flyers have confirmed that both players will be bought out in the interest of freeing up cap space.

Bryzgalov has been a polarizing figure in Philadelphia, both for his performance between the pipes and the steady stream of interesting quotes he’s provided during his tenure with the club.

It got to the point where there were questions about whether his personality played a role in the Flyers’ decision to sever his nine-year, $51 million contract. With that in mind, Briere was asked if Bryzgalov was liked in the Flyers’ dressing room.

“It was split,” Briere told CSN Philadelphia. “Some guys liked him. Some guys did not like him, but that wasn’t really the issue … I think the Flyers felt it was better for the team moving forward.”

Bryzgalov got plenty of media attention in the lead-up to the 2012 Winter Classic, courtesy of HBO’s “24/7.” The Flyers eventually decided to give Sergei Bobrovsky the high-profile start and Bryzgalov chose to publicly reveal the “great news” himself.

“Goalies are all a little different,” Briere said. “Apart from Marty Biron, who was the most normal one, they all have different personalities and we all saw what Bryz’s personality was when “24/7” came on. That was Bryz. At the end of the day, he’s a goalie.

“It’s not the players’ fault or right to be bothered by what he says or does. Most of what we do has to be within the team concept. But if you think about it, the goalie is free. He doesn’t have to know what the forecheck or neutral zone trap is. He is on the spotlight every single shot. He has to be aware. Bryz was Bryz.”

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Holmgren: ‘Costly mistake’ resulted in Bryzgalov buyout, largest in NHL history