Pronger's Contract

[JustAsking]

Please educate me...

Was he 35 when he signed his Flyers contract? Capgeek says so, but I can't imagine a team signing a 35 yr old player though the 2016-17 season at 4.9 million per.

that is a mistake on capgeek right?

 

[puckhead]

that one was right on the line.
he signed it at 34, but was 35 by the time the season started.
I remember some fuss about it, but don't remember the outcome.

 

[IPostedWhat]

The Philadelphia Flyers raised quite a few eyebrows at the NHL draft when they acquired defenseman Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks. It was a bold move, and one that solidified the Flyers as a contender for the Stanley Cup this season. The concern was that Philadelphia traded away what amounted to three consecutive first-round picks and Joffrey Lupul, for what appeared to be one year of a soon-to-be 35-year-old Pronger.

On Tuesday, the Flyers raised a few more eyebrows when they locked up Pronger to a seven-year contract extension that will reportedly pay him close to $35 million. The key phrases to repeat are "35-year-old" and "seven years."

In terms of the cap hit, it comes out to nearly $5 million per season, which is actually a $1.25 million decrease from his current deal that counts $6.25 million against the cap. In the short-term, that's a pretty sweet deal for the Flyers. If he were a free agent this offseason he would certainly get more than $5 million per season.

But would he get seven years?

This is becoming a rather common trend in the NHL, as teams have started giving out longer, front-loaded contracts to help soften the hit against the salary cap. Detroit has done it with Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, while Chicago recently signed Marian Hossa to a 12-year deal on July 1. All of these contracts, Pronger's included, will take the players into their 40's. That is, assuming they play that long.

Based on the new CBA, the Red Wings and Blackhawks are protected because of the "over-35 rule." Because Zetterberg, Franzen and Hossa had their contracts start before they turned 35, their cap hits will come off the books should they retire before the contracts run out. This may not be the case with Pronger.

Here's what the CBA states: All Player Salary and Bonuses earned in a League Year by a Player who is in the second or later year of a multi-year SPC which was signed when the Player was age 35 or older (as of June 30 prior to the League Year in which the SPC is to be effective), regardless of whether, or where, the Player is playing, except to the extent the Player is playing under his SPC in the minor leagues , in which case only the Player Salary and Bonuses in excess of $100,000 shall count towards the calculation of Actual Club Salary.

Follow that? We tried to get clarification from the NHL as to whether or not Pronger's extension falls under the "over-35 rule," but have yet to receive a response. Darren Dreger of TSN, however, reports on Wednesday that it is an over-35 deal, and that the cap hit will remain, even if Pronger retires after next season. The Flyers, reportedly, disagree.

From Dreger:According to the NHL, the answer is yes. The seven-year, $35 million extension Pronger agreed to on Tuesday doesn't commence until after June 30, 2010. Pronger will be 35 at that point and any remaining salary will remain on the cap.I have no doubt that Pronger will be his regular dominant self for, at least, two or three more seasons. But seven? Into his 40's? Consider this: of the over 1,000 players to play at least one game in the NHL this season, only eight were over the age of 40: Chris Chelios, Claude Lemieux, Gary Roberts, Curtis Joseph, Mark Recchi, Teppo Numminen and Brendan Shanahan. Only one, Recchi, played more than 60 games. Not looking very promising.

If it turns out that the cap hit stays on the books this could prove to be a costly mistake by the Flyers' brass.

Did Philadelphia Screw Up Chris Pronger's Contract Extension? -- NHL FanHouse

 

[JustAsking]

I assume Capgeek is wrong then, since he was 34 when he signed the contract... that makes a lot more sense to me.

Thanks.

 

[scottflyers88]

he was 34 and his cap hit is about 4.9 mil. what is wrong with that?

 

[JustAsking]

Did Philadelphia Screw Up Chris Pronger's Contract Extension? -- NHL FanHouse

Wow! It is a 35+ contract....

Thanks for all that info IPW.

 

[scottflyers88]

why do you think he is going to suddenly retire after he was what, 5th in norris voting?

 

[JustAsking]

why do you think he is going to suddenly retire after he was what, 5th in norris voting?

I didn't say he would retire, he may play out the life of his contract... but you will be paying a 40, 41, and 42 yr old d-man 5 million dollars.

 

[scottflyers88]

and how old is lidstrom and how much does he make?

 

[puckhead]

why do you think he is going to suddenly retire after he was what, 5th in norris voting?

no one is saying that.
what they are saying is that you will still have a $4.9 million cap hit for a 42 year old Pronger, no matter what happens.

 

[scottflyers88]

i think at age 40 pronger will have more value at 5 mil than martin at 5 mil right now.

 

[IPostedWhat]

When Pronger signed his seven-year contract extension Tuesday, it was front-loaded the way almost all long-term deals are. The extension kicks in for the 2010-11 season and carries a salary cap hit of $4.92 million per season. Pronger will make $7.6 million in each of the first two seasons of the deal, then is scheduled to make $7.2 million, $7 million and $4 million in the next three seasons before dropping to just $525,000 in Years 6 and 7 of the deal, which are the 2015-16 and ’16-17 seasons.

The Hockey News: Ken Campbell's blog: THN.com Blog: Flyers won't fight Pronger cap hit

 

[JustAsking]

and how old is lidstrom and how much does he make?

I may be way off basis, but I'm not sure I remember the last time Lidstrom laid a bone crushing check on someone (a physical game is much more damaging to one's body).

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, I was just checking out my rival teams' financials and was surprised to see a 35+ next to Prongers name with all those years... I would be surprised to see 35+ and all those years next to ANYONE's name... it's nothing personal against Pronger nor the Flyers.... I just didn't understand his contract so I asked.

 

[JustAsking]

i think at age 40 pronger will have more value at 5 mil than martin at 5 mil right now.

Ok, that's a cool opinion... and you may be right...

 

[scottflyers88]

if you watched pronger play you would see he is one of the best at conserving energy. and he barely even hits people. his game is all about positioning.

 

[anderwho2513]

Pronger was physical against the Blackhawks, and that's about it. The only other time I remember Pronger making a hit of any magnitude was against current Public Enemy #1 in Philadelphia Jody Shelley.

 

[scottflyers88]

i like his contract. i think he will be effective into his 40s. and this helps lower his cap hit for the time being.

 

[Eddie_Shack]

and how old is lidstrom and how much does he make?

I think the point is, Lidstrom makes no money next year, because he's only signed to a one year deal. If Pronger retires or gets injured badly at age 39, the Flyers are donating a huge chunk of cap space to an empty roster space.

 

[scottflyers88]

and if crosby gets hurt long term then the penguins will be horrible. things can happen.

 

[anderwho2513]

If he gets hurt, he sits on LTIR. The Flyers have a history with that.

And on that note, Rathje is still available, Caps fans. Solves your "Stay At Home" defenseman issues.