NHL Trade Rumors: Flyers Must Acquire Defenseman with Chris Pronger Hurt

The Philadelphia Flyers will be without Chris Pronger for at least a month with a surgery on his knee and the Flyers may be ready to make a deal to add depth at defense right now.

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren told the Philadelphia Daily News about the progression of Pronger’s injury:

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This has been an issue for the last month or so. We thought that through his rehabilitation on a daily basis that he would start to feel better. He had another MRI on his knee and we felt that it would be better to get it taken care of now.  We were hopeful that the time missed with a virus that Chris has been fighting would settle things down in his knee, but after an examination yesterday, it was decided that surgery is the way to go at this time

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With the trade market heating up, there are plenty of defensemen that could be an option for the ailing Flyers team.

Luca Sbisa

Luca Sbisa was one of the key pieces in the trade that brought Chris Pronger to Philadelphia in the first place, so trading for him to return this time would be poetic justice.

Sbisa has become a defensive specialist in his time with the Anaheim Ducks. While he has been a nice player, he has underperformed and a new coaching staff will be open to trading anyone.

If Philadelphia could swing a deal involving some picks and minor league players that would be enough to get Anaheim to part with the young defender.

Bryan McCabe

What better way to fill a void than signing a free agent to a meager one-year contract. The Flyers should look hard at investing what little money they have into a short-term contract with veteran defender Bryan McCabe.

While the 36-year-old McCabe lacks the superior skills he once possessed, he is still very much a threat at both ends of the ice.

If McCabe would agree to a cheaper contract for the veteran minimum or somewhere around there, the Flyers and McCabe could make beautiful music.

Matt Walker

I think the best solution is right on their team. With Andreas Lilja and Pronger out for a few weeks, bring up guys like Matt Walker and Oskars Bartulis from the Adirondack Phantoms.

With the Flyers playing very well and remaining in a good position in the Eastern Conference, I think the team doesn’t need to make a move at this point. That’s why you develop a farm system so you don’t have to make trades when injuries occur.

While Walker isn’t a top-six defender on most NHL teams, he can be for short periods of time and that’s all the Flyers need.

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