Chris Pronger out for remainder of season and its affect on Philadelphia Flyers -NHL Special
The unfortunate circumstances that veteran defenseman, Chris Pronger, has had to face these past few seasons and now are certainly saddening and disappointing. The 37-year-old faced severe post-concussion symptoms and is now reported to have been denied
playing for the remainder of the season.
There is probably no type of surgery that Pronger has not faced in these past years including elbow, foot, knee surgeries and now severe symptoms arising once again after playing only 50 games last season and 13 this time around.
Philadelphia Flyers general manager, Paul Holmgren, made the announcement earlier on December 16, 2011.
"After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post-concussion syndrome," Holmgren said. "It is the recommendation of doctor’s Maroon
and Collins that Chris not return for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs.
The team learned about Pronger’s situation before their Thursday night matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on December 15, 2011, which they managed to win but now Philadelphia is on a two-game losing streak ever since.
"It's really tough news about Chris," said coach, Peter Laviolette. "I think first and foremost we wish for him to have good health and anything after that I guess we'll sort it out."
Now seeing that Chris Pronger might not be coming back this season and the playoffs, Philadelphia will certainly have to fill in the gap with a player who can handle being the captain of one of the leading teams in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Players who could potentially fill the space
Jaromir Jagr
One of the first names that come to mind is that of NHL legend, Jaromir Jagr, who joined the Philadelphia team after spending multiple seasons abroad. The problem with him might be the lack of experience in the NHL, which now is a whole different competition
in comparison to the time he was used to playing in.
The fact remains that Jagr is a great leader without a doubt and could be a befitting player in the position.
Claude Giroux
Claude Giroux might not have as much experience as his teammates but he is one of the top players on the team. Looking at his stats in the season so far, 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) in 28 games, Giroux can certainly lead the team in the absence of Chris
Pronger.
There is certainly intense competition in the Eastern Conference at the moment, putting Philadelphia in a vulnerable position.
Sitting at the second number spot with 44 points, the Flyers are only one point below the Boston Bruins and only two above the Florida Panthers. A number of teams are looking to take over and bust them out of the second number seat and now with Pronger being
out of the season, they will certainly come prepared for the attack.
The Boston Bruins are a team that will definitely look to capitalise on the situation with their veteran line-up, Pronger was one of the players that intimidated them when they came face-to-face but now the Bruins will act like a group of tigers attacking
a lone lion.
Hoping for the best, fans and teams all around the NHL certainly pray and hope that Pronger will one day make a healthy comeback into the game but the way things have been going recently for the veteran player, nothing can be said for sure about him coming
back in the near future or even at all.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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