After making a draft day trade with the Anaheim Ducks the Flyers acquired the services of hall of fame defenseman Chris Pronger. The Flyers had to pay a hefty price tag as they gave up winger Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, and 2 first round picks. Sbisa was last years first round pick so they basically gave the Ducks 3 first rounders. I wasn't a fan of the trade at first because Pronger is 35 and would have been a free agent after the upcoming season, which means there is always chance he could be a 1 year rental. The Flyers hammered out a deal for him in the last few days to give Pronger a chance to retire as a Flyer and have him man the blue line for awhile. He will also serve as a great mentor for all the young talented defensemen Philadelphia has acquired over the last few years (Coburn, Carle, Parent). Pairing all star defenseman Kimmo Timonen with Chris Pronger should serve as a great defensive pairing to try and contain some of the star players in the eastern conference, and hopefully give the Flyers the edge they need. Pronger has not shown signs of slowing down yet and we will see if it stays that way for atleast a few years. Getting this extension done makes this trade look a little better although I still think the Flyers gave up too much in the deal. If Pronger can put them over the top and bring that Stanley Cup to Philly it would definately make the trade worth it. The Flyers have always had great offenses over the last few years so upgrading the defense was a must for GM Paul Holmgren. Now that the defense has improved with the offense scoring plenty of goals, the season will largely depend on the play of newly acquired goaltender Ray Emery. The NHL version of Ron Artest needs to keep his act together and stay focused on hockey if the Flyers plan to make a run at a Stanley Cup next year.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Chris Pronger gets multi year extension
After making a draft day trade with the Anaheim Ducks the Flyers acquired the services of hall of fame defenseman Chris Pronger. The Flyers had to pay a hefty price tag as they gave up winger Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, and 2 first round picks. Sbisa was last years first round pick so they basically gave the Ducks 3 first rounders. I wasn't a fan of the trade at first because Pronger is 35 and would have been a free agent after the upcoming season, which means there is always chance he could be a 1 year rental. The Flyers hammered out a deal for him in the last few days to give Pronger a chance to retire as a Flyer and have him man the blue line for awhile. He will also serve as a great mentor for all the young talented defensemen Philadelphia has acquired over the last few years (Coburn, Carle, Parent). Pairing all star defenseman Kimmo Timonen with Chris Pronger should serve as a great defensive pairing to try and contain some of the star players in the eastern conference, and hopefully give the Flyers the edge they need. Pronger has not shown signs of slowing down yet and we will see if it stays that way for atleast a few years. Getting this extension done makes this trade look a little better although I still think the Flyers gave up too much in the deal. If Pronger can put them over the top and bring that Stanley Cup to Philly it would definately make the trade worth it. The Flyers have always had great offenses over the last few years so upgrading the defense was a must for GM Paul Holmgren. Now that the defense has improved with the offense scoring plenty of goals, the season will largely depend on the play of newly acquired goaltender Ray Emery. The NHL version of Ron Artest needs to keep his act together and stay focused on hockey if the Flyers plan to make a run at a Stanley Cup next year.
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Good fit in Philly
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