Chris Pronger is officially hired for Department of Players Safety: Report
Chris Pronger has been hired by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, according to Bob McKenzie.
All that conflict of interest stuff? They’ll figure it out later.
He’ll remain on the Philadelphia Flyers’ long-term injured reserve, having not played in the NHL since Nov. 2011. He’s scheduled to make $4 million this season, and has two more years after that; if he officially retired, he’d lose the money and the Flyers would have around $4.9 million added to their cap number, which is within $72,000 of the ceiling this season.
NHLPA spokesperson Jonathan Weatherdon told McKenzie on Wednesday that "the league contacted the NHLPA about this matter yesterday and our discussions with them are ongoing. We are working to get this matter resolved in a timely manner."
NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday he had no problem with Pronger working with the Department of Player Safety despite his ties to the Flyers.
It’ll be interesting to see how “the matter is resolved,” given that a player with an active contract is forbidden from working for the NHL, per the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Hopefully the conversation shifts from Pronger fixing suspensions to benefit the Flyers in the Department of Player Safety – a notion that, for various reasons, is preposterous – onto the Flyers’ cap situation, as one of the NHL’s favored owners continues to have a contract that should be on his cap not count against it.
