Philadelphia Flyers: Best/Worst Case Scenarios for Chris Pronger's Season

This offseason was clearly one of the most aggressive for the Philadelphia Flyers.

The last time they had an offseason like this was when they decided to trade their 2009 and 2010 first-round pick as well as Luca Sbisa and Joffery Lupul to Anaheim in exchange for former Ducks' captain Chris Pronger.

Pronger came to Philly and made an immediate impact, helping lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals, only to fall short to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Although Pronger was a captain on his previous teams, the Flyers already had a captain in Mike Richards.

Richards lead the team a little bit differently than Pronger did when he was a captain, but the 36-year-old did not want to step on anyone's toes.

When Head Coach Peter Laviolette came on board in the middle of the 2009 season, he asked players to commit to his "Dry Island" program and refrain from drinking. He asked players to show their commitment by putting their numbers up on a locker room board.

However, not every person put his number on the board, including Richards.

Richards was not the best captain and a lot of people believed that Pronger should take over.

Now that Richards has been traded to Los Angeles, the team is clearly in the hands of Chris Pronger, but there are several questions on whether or not the 2000 MVP is still at the top of his game.

Best Case Scenario: Pronger Comes Back Healthy

Chris Pronger missed a lot of time toward the end of last season.

In March, he needed surgery that required a plate and some pins to be inserted in his right hand. That sidelined him for most of March as well as several playoff games.

He was able to return late in the team's series with the Buffalo Sabres, but was ineffective, registering only a point and finishing with a minus-3 rating.

Pronger may have rushed back from injury too soon so that he could contribute when his team needed him the most, but it was not a smart move for either side.

You could tell that the injuries toward the end of the year were affecting his play, as well as the play of his linemate Matt Carle.

Now that Pronger has had time to recuperate from his surgeries, he will return to the form that helped lead the Flyers to the Cup Finals in 2010.

The Flyers' biggest issue last season was goaltending, with the team struggling to find a No. 1 goalie in either rookie Sergei Bobrovsky and veteran Brian Boucher.

Because of shoddy play in net, Pronger had to block a lot of shots, which led to a broken foot.

Now that the Flyers have signed a top goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov, the amount of shots that Pronger has to take will decrease. Having Bryzgalov in net will take the pressure off Pronger having to try to block every shot, which he discussed in an interview with USA Today:

"Pronger joked that with Ilya Bryzgalov playing behind him this season, he might not have to get in the way of as many shots, which resulted in his broken foot last season. 'I may get out of the way and let our million-dollar goaltender stop those,' Pronger said."

All joking aside, Pronger still has a lot of work to do to get himself back into playing shape, but when he does, the Flyers defense will gain a huge upgrade.

Although he is 36 years old, Pronger feels that the surgeries have extended his career, not shortened it.

"I hope so," Pronger said in the same interview with USA Today. "That is the idea when you have these surgeries, that they'll be fixed for good. But we do play a physical game and we'll see."

"I'm rounding the corner, and I'm starting to feel a little better about myself."

Worst Case Scenario: Pronger's Body Is Slowly Making a Turn for the Worst

After Pronger had his lower-back surgery, it was assumed that he would be prepared for the first game of the season.

However, the timetable for Pronger's return has not gone to plan. Because of the two surgeries,  Pronger has not been able to lift weights and has thrown off his usual summer workout schedule.

Back in August, Pronger stated that his hand was not 100 percent healed after he had the plate and pins removed.

Pronger had stated later in the interview that toward the end of August, he should be able to begin weightlifting, only giving him three weeks to do heavy lifting before training camp starts.

There is a very good chance that will be enough time to get Pronger back into playing form, especially for the style of play he is known.

With a delay in the start of his training camp, Pronger could miss the beginning of the 2011-12 season.

The other question is whether or not Pronger's body is starting to go downhill.

In the past year, Pronger has had four surgeries, which is more than he has had in his nine previous NHL seasons.

Over his career, Pronger has had surgeries on his right knee, right foot, right hand and lower back.

Although Pronger still has six years left on his contract with Philadelphia, at his age, he can only push his body so far.

If his hand is still not completely healed, Pronger's shot will decrease, which could hinder a lot of the Flyers' scoring opportunities.

If Pronger tries to play below 100 percent, he could easily re-injure himself, forcing the star to miss more playing time.

Best Case Scenario: With a Clear-Cut Leader, the Flyers Prosper

“When you look around the room and the old captains and the name on that board, it would be a tremendous honor, but it's not something I need," Danny Briere told CSN Philly. "I think Chris Pronger felt the same way. Everyone saw Chris as one of our leaders last year.”

Even though Richards wore the "C" last season, it seemed that a lot of players in the Flyers' locker room were looking at Pronger as one of the leaders.

The problem  is that it caused a split in the locker room. For those who were fond of the nightlife and partying that Richards and former Flyer Jeff Carter enjoyed, they were not in the same boat as those who were willing to commit to Laviolette's "Dry Island" program.

With Richards and Carter in different uniforms, the central nucleus of the partying lifestyle has been sent elsewhere. Without them on the team, the Flyers will be better off.

Having players that would rather focus on the game instead of partying the night before, will bring a more focused team to the ice.

With a healthy and proven Chris Pronger leading the team, the Flyers will once again be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Worst Case Scenario: Flyers Cannot Rebound from Lost Talent

Even though Mike Richards and Jeff Carter liked to have a few drinks the night before a game, it never showed in their play.

Both players have had 30-plus goal and 80-plus point seasons in the past and still have yet to hit their prime.

Carter and Richards were traded so that the team could finally solve its goaltending issue by signing goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. "Bryz" wanted a hefty chunk of change, so ditching both players' huge long-term contracts was the best answer.

With the trades, the Flyers got a lot of youth in return.

For Carter, the Flyers winger Jakub Voracek from Columbus, as well as the eighth overall draft pick, which was used on talented center Sean Couturier.

In the Richards deal, the Flyers got Wayne Simmonds and top-ranked prospect Brayden Schenn.

Both Simmonds and Voracek have experience under their belts and Schenn has excelled in international play. They still have a lot to learn, as none of them are close to the level of Carter and Richards.

The team also brought Jaromir Jagr back to the NHL and crossed enemy lines to sign Max Talbot from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Flyers are still a very talented team, but the loss of two of their top players, as well as winger Ville Leino, could cause them to struggle out of the gate, especially if Pronger is not ready to go by opening night. 

The pressure will now fall on youngsters Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk to take their play to the next level to earn their contract extensions and prove to the Flyers front office that they made the right decision in getting rid of Carter and Richards.