Poll: Does it come down to Pedro OR Halladay?
Published July 9, 2009 Philadelphia , Phillies Leave a CommentTags: Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Halladay
2009 MLB All-Star Game Final Vote Shane!
Published July 8, 2009 Philadelphia Leave a CommentTags: MLB All-Star Game, Shane Victorino
Vote Shane!
New Podcast
Published July 8, 2009 Eagles , Flyers , Philadelphia , Phillies Leave a CommentTags: 2009 all star game, Chris Pronger, Eagles, Flyers, home run derby, Jimmy Rollins, jrue holiday, Phillies, raul ibanez, Ryan Howard, Sixers, steve mcnair
So, after months away from the podcast medium, the ADD Show is officially back. In this week’s podcast, we discuss the Phillies resurgence at home, Pronger singing a long term deal, and much more.
Stay tuned for more podcasts all summer long!
Pronger signs extension, could get retirement wish
Published July 7, 2009 Flyers , NHL , Philadelphia Leave a CommentTags: Chris Pronger, extension, Pat Morris, Philadelphia Flyers
Chris Pronger could be living like royalty, signing a contract that would keep him in Philadelphia until age 42 (Photo courtesy Canuckz.com)
Newly acquired defenseman Chris Pronger has reportedly signed a seven year extension with the Philadelphia Flyers according to Sportsnet.ca.
Pronger’s agent, Pat Morris told the Canadian news organization of the deal that could very well keep Pronger here in Philly until he decides to retire.
The extension, according to Sportsnet, will be front-loaded to avoid salary cap issues in the future. Apparently the deal will have his cap hit be just shy of $5 million for the duration of the extension. For now however the salary cap is the organization’s biggest problem.
The 34 year old defenseman will turn 35 in October and is still one of the league’s most feared defensemen.A lot of that has to do with his size. His 6′6″, 213 lb. stature makes him the biggest player on the Flyers roster.
Aside from his intimidation being one of the league’s most notorious hard hitters, he can pull his weight offensively too. Last season in Anaheim he scored 11 goals and 37 assists.
When he was introduced to the Philadelphia media on Monday he said that he would like to retire with the Flyers organization.
No JayBo here, Flyers trade for Pronger
Published June 26, 2009 Flyers , Philadelphia 3 CommentsTags: Chris Pronger, Joffery Lupul, Luca Sbisa, NHL, NHL Draft, Philadelphia Flyers, Ryan Dingle
Chris Pronger is the newest Flyer (powerplayhockeystl.com)
TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that the Flyers have acquired veteran defenseman Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks as well as minor league center Ryan Dingle. The deal comes at a lofty price. The Flyers will reportedly give up forward Joffery Lupul ($4.25 million in ‘09-’10), defenseman Luca Sbisa ($875,000 in ‘09-’10), two first round picks and a conditional third round pick.
Chris Pronger is scheduled to make $6.25 million this season and is only signed through the 2009 – 2010 season at which he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Last season in Anaheim Pronger, 34, notched 11 goals and 37 assists. He also had 88 penalty minutes and is widely considered one of the hardest hitters in the league.
Yes, the Flyers needed a big, strong defenseman, but at this price? Really? Obviously moving Lupul is understandable considering the $2 million raise he will get this year, and even trading the draft picks are understandable. The Flyers are consistently a good team that goes deep in the playoffs and gets a fairly late pick in the first round. In the NHL where drafts are rarely deep, they can afford to give up the picks. But what about Sbisa?
Sbisa still has two years before his rookie contract ends. He played exceptionally well for the Flyers last year from the start and only got demoted to his junior team to make room under the cap for Danny Briere. The Flyers surely could have used Sbisa for years to come. He was developing his physical game, especially having lived with enforcer Riley Cote for the first half of the season.
Early speculation; this is a bad trade, unless the Flyers get Pronger to sign long-term and he stays effective after age 35. Those two things are about as far away from a sure thing as you can get. Paul Holmgren put the Flyers in a bad salary cap situation. Now it is even worse. And the fact that the Flyers are willing to wager what was probably their best defensive prospect and two draft picks for one year of an aging defenseman says they think they can win right now. Is that really the case? Look at all the negative speculation surrounding Ray Emery who will step into the starting role this season. Look at having Randy Jones, Matt Carle and Ryan Parent still on the blueline. Which one of them looked good last season? It was a three-way tie for no one.
Don’t get me wrong, Pronger is a good player, and just what the Flyers needed, but he’s only around for one year. Let’s hope that the Flyers ARE ready to win now, otherwise this will go down as a disaster.
