Posted: Sunday, August 2, 2009, 9:37 AM | 24 comments |
 

NHL has no case against Pronger signing
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The NHL is trying to play the role of cap police, but, from this perspective, it has no grounds in investigating Chris Pronger's contract. The Flyers signed Pronger to a seven-year deal for $39 million plus. The league is inferring that because Pronger may retire before the deal expires, that the club circumvented the cap. Isn't that what a shrew GM is supposed to do? And besides, how can the NHL predict when Pronger will retire? He very well could play all seven years and retire at 42. Don't the NHL bigwigs have better things to do with their time?  
Posted by SAM CARCHIDI @ 9:37 AM  Permalink | 24 comments
24
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:35 AM, 08/02/2009
    The cap is ruining hockey. If the bigger market teams were not so cap-strapped then a lot more people would be watching the NHL and we wouldn't have these problems with contract investigations. They should do what the MLB has done and have a luxury tax for teams that way overspend and have profit sharing to at least keep some of the smaller market teams competitive.
    — robm0202
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:40 AM, 08/02/2009
    To be fair, some time last week there was mention that the NHL was investigating Hossa's contract, it was only this week that we learned that Pronger's was also being investigated.
    — robm0202
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:18 PM, 08/02/2009
    Only the NHL would take the average annual value of a contract as the cap hit and then be surprised when teams tacked on excess years at minimal dollar amounts. Didn't we all learn how averages can be misleading and can be manipulated? Does the NHL have any semblance of foresight? Isn't this the simplest way to get around the cap while still paying players? Why is there a salary floor? Why does NHL insist on ruining a great sport with terrible economics!?! Sam?
    — Either/Or
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:27 PM, 08/02/2009
    The league is ticked that the Flyers keep bringing in one tough guy after another. It's no secret that the Flyers expect to get back to being the leagues bullies. It won them two cups, so why not go with what works? The problem is, this scares the hell out of the rest of the league.
    — mikegdj
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:31 PM, 08/02/2009
    Well said, Either/Or. The salary cap is ruining hockey. Teams have to let good young players go every year because they can't afford to keep them. This is because the cap is too low. You've got individual players taking up 1/6th of the cap. And it's hard to argue that players are overpaid when you compare it to other sports. If the salary cap is going to be as low as it is, then they must limit the maximum contracts to 5 million or so, which would hurt the players. I like the luxury tax idea from robm.
    — mikeyhigs
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:54 PM, 08/02/2009
    The salary cap takes money from players and gives it to owners, under the guise of competitive balance. A salary floor forces teams to pay players when they are trying to rebuild. If a team want to start over they should be able to spend as little as they want. Phoenix is paying Ed Jovanski way way way to much to help the team stay above the salary floor. Is there any provision in the CBA that stops a team from signing a 25 year deal with 20 minimum salary years tacked on to the back to kill the average value? I mean this is ridiculous. It makes the NBA salary cap look functional.... well maybe not. but its close.
    — Either/Or
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:53 PM, 08/02/2009
    Its just the league trying to "make an example" using their favorite whipping post, the Flyers. The double standard needs to stop, ban nhl executives and officials from the wachovia center, and request IIHF officiating.
    — Pelti
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:49 AM, 08/03/2009
    I've heard Holmgren called a lot of things, some of them by me personally....but I've never heard him called a "shrew".
    — Mark1npt
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:49 AM, 08/03/2009
    I've heard Holmgren called a lot of things, some of them by me personally....but I've never heard him called a "shrew".
    — Mark1npt
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:00 AM, 08/03/2009
    This is barely news worthy, so its not anything to be concerned about, but I do agree the NHL is doing this just to bust the Flyers chops. As far as returning to be the bullys because that what works and won us two cups... youve got to be joking. That was ancient history dude. This NHL is won by talent not penalty minutes.
    — Pantaphobia
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:19 AM, 08/03/2009
    mikegdj..."""It's no secret that the Flyers expect to get back to being the leagues bullies. It won them two cups, so why not go with what works?""" Welcome back from your 33 year coma... just to catch you up, its 2009, we have a black president, Michael Jasckson was white and is now dead, and the Flyers haven't won the Cup since 1975... Glad you're awake. You sure are learning the www. real quickly.
    — phillyinATL
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:33 PM, 08/03/2009
    Am I missing something? The league has already stated that because the contract extension won't kick in until after Pronger's 35th birthday, the entire amount will count against the cap. It doesn't matter whether he retires or not. So, what are they investigating? The NHL will never be a major league until they hire some adults to run it.
    — SkinnyJoey
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:29 AM, 08/04/2009
    Didn't Chelios just play last year at the age of 43? So why can't Pronger play out this deal. He's a bigger player and probably is in great physcial shape. I can see the Hossa question but Pronger?
    — pizano13
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About Sam Carchidi
Sam Carchidi is in his fourth year as the Flyers' beat reporter. He became an Inquirer staff writer in 1984 and covered mostly South Jersey high school sports and the Phillies before taking the Flyers beat.

Carchidi has written three books _ the nationally acclaimed Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story, which he co-authored with Scott Brown; Bill Campbell: The Voice of Philadelphia Sports; and Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story, which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He also contributed to a 1993 Inquirer book on the Phillies.

A lifelong South Jersey resident, Carchidi lives in Wenonah with his wife, JoAnn, and their two children, Sara and Sammy.

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