NEVER TAKES A DAY OFF
When the history of Paul Holmgren's tenure as general manager of the Flyers is written, the trade for defenseman Chris Pronger will almost certainly be viewed as his signature moment.
The Flyers prefer to characterize the draft-day move as the opportunity to add a future Hall of Fame player who will solidify the back line for seasons to come. That might be exactly how it will turn out, too, but the stakes and the measuring stick for the Flyers remains as always: Cup or nothing.
And with that, the clock is ticking.
It isn't ticking just because Pronger is 34, either. He played every game last season and appears fit enough to add five more seasons to his career.
It is ticking because the Flyers paid an enormous price to acquire him, sending away two first-round picks, and - by including talented 19-year-old defenseman Luca Sbisa - the equivalent of a third first-rounder.
Three years from now, if the Pronger acquisition has not produced a Stanley Cup, the talent gap left by dealing those three top picks has the potential to leave some holes on the roster.
As it is, there are a few holes the Flyers will have to plug in the short term, too. Losing Joffrey Lupul in the trade and forward Mike Knuble because the team couldn't afford to keep him will provide for some challenges on the scoring lines, particularly at right wing.
But those are the chances the Flyers have taken, with the future and with the present. And, for all the right reasons, those were the correct chances to take.
The measuring stick will remain - is there a Cup in the trophy case? - but the Flyers did what every fan wants his or her team to do. They have gone for it.
We'll leave aside for the moment the belief in this town that not all the franchises operate in that manner. We'll just take a moment to congratulate the Flyers for doing so. And, by the way, Paul, good luck. You might need it.
"I've said all along that we paid a lot to get him. In terms of how it's going to pan out, we'll see a few years from now," Holmgren said yesterday after the team made its formal introduction of Pronger. "Chris brings a different element to us. He's a guy who can chew up minutes, provide offense, and play strong in his own zone. He's the real deal."
It won't be remembered as a good trade, in any case, if the team doesn't get a real deal with Pronger in the form of a contract extension. The Flyers, like all NHL teams, are dancing along a salary-cap tightrope and need to get as reasonable an extension as possible. It would be fair to say Pronger's negotiating position is excellent, however.
"We want him to finish his career here, and we'll try to get it worked out in the next few days," Holmgren said. "It's difficult. There's the fear of what happens next year. Is the [cap] going to drop? Those are all things you have to look at and weigh into what you're doing."
For next season, the Flyers are betting that Danny Briere has a healthy, productive season and that young center Claude Giroux becomes the player they think he is. If both of those things happen, the loss of the 52 goals provided by Knuble and Lupul won't hurt as much.
"It's a little bit risky," Holmgren said.
But the Flyers were willing to take those risks - and deplete the future cupboard - in order to get a guy who will bring a little more discipline not only to the ice but to the locker room. The team likes its young players, but there is the sense that they could use a bit more direction.
"I think we do play hard," Holmgren said. "There are some inconsistencies in our game over the last couple of years that I attribute to youth and not knowing. It's part of the process with young guys."
The biggest risk of all, of course, could be the addition of goaltender Ray Emery, who is talented but has a history of erratic behavior. That's a wild card no one can predict. Maybe Pronger can handle that situation, too.
"I think I can help young players achieve their potential," Pronger said, "and be a force in the back."
He does that part of his job as well, and with as much pointed enthusiasm, as anyone in the NHL.
"You limit their time and space," he said of his philosophy for handling the league's elite scorers, "and you make sure they pay a price when you get the chance."
The Flyers paid a price for Pronger, but there is no buyer's remorse yet, just the blue of a sky over a parade and the great silver bowl shining in the sun. That is always the vision, and the Flyers have once again tried to make it a reality.
Now, they have to wait. Tick, tick, tick.
Contact columnist Bob Ford
at 215-854-5842 or bford@phillynews.com.
Read his blog at http://philly.com/postpatterns.
