When I typed in the title above my spell checker highlighted the word ‘Pronger’, but when I clicked on it instead of hitting ignore, I hit ‘learn’ because in the coming year or so with Chris Pronger now a Philadelphia Flyers player I believe I’ll be writing quite a bit about him and I don’t want red lines all over my articles before I hit submit.

Last night during the NHL Entry Draft the Flyers made a big splash by giving up their pick late in the first round, their first round pick next year and two young players for veteran defenseman Chris Pronger. Why should I be so interested other than the fact that my team have picked up a marquee player who, even at 35, can still make a difference to the point that he could be the missing cog in a Stanley Cup challenge?

Well ever since I started following the NHL in and around 99-00, Chris Pronger has been one of my favorite players.

Why you ask?

I don’t really know why. Maybe because Chris Pronger was the leagues best defenseman back then, he played a mean game but also a good game, he was a big man in the liking of the Belfast Giants Jason Bowen who at the time was my favorite Belfast Giants player back in the British Leagues, and when I would sit up past midnight or record the NHL games on Channel Five and the St. Louis Blues were playing, he would stand out. He was one of the reasons why I was considering becoming a Blues fan for a short while before settling on the Flyers and now that it’s 2009 and he is with the Flyers and not the Blues I think I made the right choice!

Pronger left the Blues in 2005 following the NHL lockout when the Edmonton Oilers traded for him and signed him to a five-year contract. His wife never settled there and so he requested a trade after just one season when he helped carry them all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals and within one game of winning the cup, and it angered a lot of fans that he wanted out. He was eventually traded to the Anaheim Ducks and I thought it a shame as I quite liked the Oilers and hoped he would help get them back to being a winning team. I could see why the fans were upset but regardless, I remained a Pronger fan.

In 2007 Pronger finally got his hands on the Stanley Cup when his Anaheim team beat Ottawa in seven games to lift the trophy. It handed Pronger the triple gold title of having won the Canadian World Junior Championship, and Olympic Gold for Canada and a Stanley Cup.

In the last few months though Pronger’s name has been up in trade speculation. Anaheim clearly favors his defensive partner and superstar Scott Neidermayer. Neidermayer who retired briefly from the game a few years ago only to come back to play again was considering retirement again. When he confirmed he would indeed play again next year it confirmed that Pronger would be leaving — the club could not fit them both under the cap and Pronger was an unrestricted free-agent next season.

And that brings us to yesterdays big trade.

I hoped in the back of my mind that the Flyers might make a pitch for Pronger but with the Flyers so close to the cap I wondered how they could ever fit him in. Then yesterday out of the blue they sent two first round picks, Lupul and Sbisa for him. Lupul had a pretty big contract himself and so dropping it was a good thing. Lupul had a solid season last year but was not the elite start his younger days promised. He started out in Anaheim so maybe going back there is a good thing for him. Sbisa was a tougher one to take though, at 18 last year he cracked the NHL, not something many defensemen do and when he did he did pretty good. The Flyers eventually sent him back to junior but in his time at the NHL he proved why he has a great career ahead of him. The Flyers however have a number of young stud defensemen in their team and so X was in someway expendable whereas at the Leafs their own 18 year old rookie from last year Luke Schenn certainly was not, yet that was what the likes of NY Islanders were looking if they were to give the Leafs their number one pick. The two first round picks can always be a young talent you are giving up but with a young team the Flyers have clearly accepted that they can afford to move them picks. Besides, this years pick was far enough down in what was not a deep draft of talent that they were happy to lose it. Next year depends how they finish in the standings but with Pronger now on board they will be hoping that pick is another low one.

The move still keeps the Flyers right in and around the cap bubble and with it set to drop for next season they might well be forced to move more players in order to fit in. Danny Briere is the first name that comes to mind. He was signed to a big money, long term deal a few years back but has failed to really produce and found himself playing on the third line during the playoffs. Moving him might be tough though because of his wages, because of the falling cap and more-so because he has a no-trade clause and any move will have to come with his permission.

No doubt something will be worked out and right now with months still to go until the season starts it gives the Flyers something to be exciting about over the summer, the hope of a new player taking them the distance. This move firmly puts this years disappointing season behind us.

So what can we likely expect out of Pronger. Let’s remember this isn’t the 20-something-year old from his St. Louis Blues days, nor the 31-year old from the Edmonton cup run, nor the the 34-year old who won the Stanley Cup. Pronger will be 35 by the time he takes to the ice for the Flyers 09/10 season and many would say that is over the hill. It is in a way, it’s certainly past prime age, but in the NHL the elite of the elite seem to have an ability to push their talents into their late 30’s. Pronger is big, he is strong, he still has a bit of speed about him, he can still play physical and he brings enormous amounts of leadership which will be a big help to the young captain Mike Richards. Pronger’s contract runs out at the end of the next season and while the Flyers fans will hope he can be re-signed to make it worth while giving up so much for him, if he gives them one good year, like in Edmonton, and leads them to a cup they will be happy regardless if he stays on longer or not.

Welcome to Philadelphia Chris Pronger. I can hardly wait.

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