Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Pronger problems: Chris Pronger to have back surgery to remove herniated disc

Chris Pronger

When the Flyers bowed out of the postseason meekly against the Bruins, one prime time figure that proved not to be a factor at all was Chris Pronger. Pronger played just a couple games against Buffalo in the first round and only Game 1 against Boston as he was coming off a broken hand injury at the end of the season.

When Pronger missed out on the rest of the Flyers’ series with Boston, it was believed that there was something else amiss for the hulking defenseman. Pronger was quizzed about that as the team packed up for the summer but he wasn’t sure what, if anything, he’d do about it in the offseason. As it turns out, he’s going to get things taken care of right away as he’ll be having surgery on his back on Thursday to have a herniated disc removed.

CSN Philly has the details on what’s ailing the irascible defenseman.

Pronger, who missed the last three games of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Bruins, is scheduled to have a procedure called a discectomy, which will be performed by orthopedic specialist Frank Cammisa at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

The Flyers’ 36-year-old defenseman was reported to have been experiencing pain in his back and leg, and he saw specialists earlier this week to determine their origin.


The operation sounds nasty, but clearly having a repaired and healthy Pronger ready for next season and beyond is far more important for the team than anything else. With the Flyers on the hook for Pronger up through the 2016-2017 season they need to keep him as healthy as possible since Pronger’s deal is a 35+ contract, Pronger’s $4.921 million cap hit stays on their books unless he’s traded.

It’s tough to keep mentioning that contract because it did seem so crazy at the time it was signed and seems worse now with Pronger coming off an injury-filled season and playoffs, but those are the realities of the salary cap world when you’re an older player. We don’t doubt that Pronger will bust his tail to get back in shape and healthy, we question how effective he’ll be when it’s all said and done.