How a Healthy Chris Pronger Makes the Philadelphia Flyers a Playoff Team

Recently, Comcast SportsNet’s Tim Panaccio reported that Flyers' defenseman Chris Pronger fully expects to play a full 82-game season this year, even though he will almost certainly miss the preseason.

Pronger is recovering from surgery on a herniated disk in his back that took place in May and is still affected by hand surgery that took place in March. He has not done any heavy lifting since before the hand operation.

Pronger’s prediction may be a tad ambitious, but the news is welcome news for Flyers fans. 

The health of any player who is recovering from surgery will always be a concern for fans, but Pronger’s case is a special one.

General manager Paul Holmgren overhauled the team’s roster in June and July, giving the Flyers an entirely new look that has created anxiety for some fans as the preseason schedule draws near. Pronger is one of the most important familiar faces returning to the team, and many consider him both the centerpiece of the Flyers and the future captain of the team.

Perhaps no player outside of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is more crucial to the success or failure of the Flyers than Chris Pronger.

Defense: The Intimidation Factor

Even at Pronger’s age (37), the 6’6" monster is still an intimidating presence for opposing forwards. Veteran players understand his strengths and young players have to show respect for his legacy. 

Few defensemen are better at clearing the crease, so Pronger will be a critical part of making sure Bryzgalov sees shots coming at him. Having Pronger in the mix with Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros means that the team can have a big, physical defensemen on three different pairings in the lineup.

Pronger has never been afraid to get scrappy after the play, keeping opposing forwards in check.  He may take penalties for his actions, but he always sends a message to his opponents.

While he has lost a step and may not be able to block as many shots as he once did, his big frame and long stick will keep opposing attackers to the outside and clear the crease to keep players from pouncing on rebounds. 

Without Pronger, the Flyers have a defense that is formidable and equipped for a playoff run, but with a healthy Pronger in their own zone, the team is truly one of the elite defenses in the league.

Offense: The Big Cannon

Before acquiring Pronger in 2009, the Flyers’ biggest missing piece was the lack of a big shot on the point, particularly on the power play.

During the end of this past season, the Flyers saw that, without Pronger healthy, their biggest missing piece is the exact same thing.

The power play struggled without a respectable shot on the blue line, forcing the team to try to feed passes through defenders or take shots that could easily be blocked. Even when the team kept possession, it was plenty of cycling, not much shooting.

Pronger’s presence on the point forces the four penalty killers to edge toward the blue line to be able to block his dangerous shot before it can get through to the netminder. 

If the penalty killers don’t respect the shot, Pronger can put the puck on the net and the forwards can crash for a deflection or rebound, or Pronger can pick a corner himself.

If penalty killers do have to respect the shot, the middle of the ice opens up—ever so slightly—but enough for talented forwards like Claude Giroux to string passes through and into the slot.

By forcing the opponent to respect the blue line, Pronger changes the entire dynamic of the power play and the Flyers offense in general.

Leadership:  By Example and By Force

Pronger’s most valuable attributes are those that are rumored to have rubbed captain Mike Richards the wrong way: his leadership abilities on and off the ice (even if the Richards/Pronger friction is hearsay, which it very well may be, Pronger was obviously a factor in the team’s leadership structure).

With the old captain gone and guys like Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk and Brayden Schenn still untested in the trials of true leadership, Pronger’s presence is vital to holding players accountable for their mistakes and making sure no one takes a shift off. 

On the ice, young players can’t help but emulate the style of play they see in a wily, gigantic veteran like Pronger. Not only is it a lesson in competing at an NHL level, but players flat-out don’t want a guy like Pronger to believe you were responsible for a goal being scored or a scoring chance being wasted.

When Pronger clears the crease around Bryzgalov and manhandles opposing forwards after the puck is covered, Schenn and Jakub Voracek and JVR understand that they are expected to do the same. Long-term exposure to guys like Pronger makes players more willing to grind in corners, skate hard on both ends of the ice and play until the whistle blows (and maybe a little bit after).

Off the ice, Pronger has proven that he is unsettled by losing. He is not complacent after a decent effort that ends in a 4-1 loss, and he’s not afraid to tell the media when he is angry. 

Given that players tend to tone it down when cameras and microphones enter the locker room, the hockey gods only know what kinds of things he will say to his teammates after a lackluster performance. 

If Pronger is out injured, it’s unclear who will hold the team accountable. Even the team’s alternate captains and top leaders Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen don’t seem to have that extra fierceness that Pronger brings to the table.

Preparing for October

The regular season is inching closer every day, but Chris Pronger has expressed confidence that he will be ready.

Flyers fans are hoping so, because after the sudden departures of Richards and Jeff Carter, the team is going to need a familiar scowling face to make sure the team gets off to a good start.

More than any other player, Pronger has the potential to change 2011-12 from a rebuilding year filled with growing pains to a Cup run by an explosive young team, led by the grit and determination of a future Hall of Fame defenseman.