Bad news today for the Philadelphia Flyers. The other night when Chris Pronger didn’t return to their game against the Canadiens, you had to suspect it was bad enough to make the team be careful in handling him and it turns out those suspicions are right. Pronger will miss the next 4-6 weeks of action after undergoing surgery today on his broken foot.
The team made the announcement via press release this morning and this means it’s time to buckle down for the rest of the team. Pronger is without question the team’s defensive leader and the guy who makes everything go in Philadelphia. Oskars Bartulis will now slide into the starting lineup in his place as the team doesn’t have much financial flexibility to make other moves to fill his spot.
The Flyers have been playing outstanding to start the season and while they might take a stumble in the standings with Pronger out, this could be a benefit for the team as Pronger won’t be going through the usual rigors of playing games and getting beat up. The benefits of getting this “rest” now will be seen come playoff time when Pronger’s got that little bit extra to his game. For now, the Flyers have to weather the storm. They’ve proven themselves to be one of the best in the Eastern Conference but now we’ll see what kind of difference maker Pronger is for the rest of the team.