Flyers Annouce Captain Chris Pronger Will Be Out Indefinitely; Schenn Sidelined Too
It started out as a mysterious virus. That virus turned into a knee surgery somehow, and has now morphed into concussion-like symptoms. Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren announced today the the Flyers' Captain, Chris Pronger, will be out of action indefinitely.
Chris Pronger has already been sidelined for the past couple weeks as he recovered from a knee surgery to clean out his ailing left knee. It was hoped and expected that he would return to the Flyers lineup in time for the NHL's 2012 Winter Classic to be held at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia. The Flyers are set to take on their bitter division rival, the New York Rangers in the NHL's annual showcase game.
After the announcement from Holmgren, it would appear as though they expect Pronger to be out a little longer than anticipated. It also appears that the mysterious virus that sidelined Pronger prior to his undergoing knee surgery may have actually been a concussion.
While Chris' knee is improving, he has struggled with other issues that are concussion-like symptoms. Chris will see Dr. Joe Maroon and Dr. Mickey Collins on Wednesday, December 14th in Pittsburgh for further evaluation. Chris will be out indefinetly. -Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren
The Flyers have won 4 games in a row, and now sit atop the Eastern Conference after dispatching the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.
Regardless of the success the Flyers have enjoyed in Pronger's absence, his steadying influence on the defense has certainly been nussed. This latest setback only adds to the challenges the Flyers have had to deal with in terms of healthy defensemen. Andreas Lilja and rookie Erik Gustafsson are both currently sidelined and not expected to play for a few more weeks. Braydon Coburn has also been in and out of the lineup this season, but is back with the team. This has led the Flyers to rely on some rookies to man their blue line. So far, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall have done solid jobs.
Pronger missed 32 games a year ago, and has only played in 13 of the Flyers' 27 games so far this year.
Holmgren also announced the Brayden Schenn, a top Flyers prospect acquired in the Mike Richards trade from the Kings, will also be out indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms. Schenn has tremendous upside but has struggled to stay healthy and has had little impact so far with the Flyers. Schenn has played in only 6 games so far and has not notched a point yet.
