Philadelphia Flyers hope Chris Pronger will be joining them next season -NHL Update
Philadelphia Flyers were hoping to make a run for the Stanley Cup this year but their dreams were short-lived after New Jersey Devils eliminated them in just five games. Hoping to make a fresh start next season, Flyers are hopeful that team captain, Chris
Pronger, will be on the squad and make the much needed difference.
Despite their being reports that Pronger might never be able to play hockey again, Flyers’ general manager, Paul Holmgren, is confident that his captain will be back and at it soon.
"I'm still, as it relates to Chris, as much as anything else, I'm a glass-is-half-full kind of guy," Holmgren said. "I believe he's going to play. But I don't know. I don't have anything to back that up."
Due to a severe concussion, Pronger’s comeback season was cut short to just 13 games played, in which he put up 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists) and 10 minutes in penalty time.
"I think he still has headaches from time to time," Holmgren said. "It's concussion-like symptoms."
Having Pronger back in the line-up for the postseason, may Flyers’ players believe that he would have made the difference they needed after destroying Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Playoff Quarterfinals.
Having him back healthy and ready to go for the upcoming 2012-2013 regular season will definitely be helpful, but nothing can be said for sure in that regard just yet.
"It's nice to have that guy [a captain], and Prongs is one of the best leaders to play the game," forward Scott Hartnell said. "You always felt that missing part in the dressing room. Prongs is probably one of the best guys. He can be your best friend, but
if you're not playing hard he's going to let you know. I think we miss that."
Looking at it from another point of view, if Chris Pronger is unable to make a return next season, Philadelphia will have to deal with his issue of captaincy with a neutral mindset and give the rank to another player to lead the team. Not having a captain
always hurts a team and Flyers will have to get over the fact that Pronger might not be joining them.
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