MONTREAL -- After completing his trade for Anaheim Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger(notes) on Friday night, Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren was asked by a reporter if the move sent a "message" to the Pittsburgh Penguins that "Crosby and Malkin won't have that kind of freedom running your goaltender like they did" during the playoffs.

Holmgren said bluntly: "I'm not trying to send any messages here. Pittsburgh's the Stanley Cup champions and that's a heck of an accomplishment. There's a lot of good teams in our conference, as well as the Western Conference. We're trying to win, and adding Chris Pronger helps us."

So while the Flyers weren't sending a message to the Penguins in particular, they are sending a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference with this trade: They believe they are putting together a championship-caliber puzzle for next season, and that they added perhaps the most vital new piece this weekend.

We hadn't dedicated a standalone post to this trade, so to clarify my take on the Pronger deal, which saw the defenseman and prospect Ryan Dingle(notes) to Philadelphia for forward Joffrey Lupul(notes), defenseman Luca Sbisa(notes), first-round picks in 2009 and 2010 and a conditional third-round pick in 2010 or 2011:

The price tag is enormous. Ask any GM or scout or agent at the draft, and they'd tell you the same thing. But there's a difference between the price being "too high" and being one that isn't worth paying. The Flyers paid the price, and it's a risk worth taking.

It's true that Pronger is an aging star (he'll be 35 in October) in decline. It's true that he's got only one year left on his deal, and there are no promises that he'll be a Flyer in 2011.

But acquiring Pronger gives the Flyers something that the Detroit Red Wings and the Ducks themselves proved vital to success in the postseason: Two stellar defensive pairings.

Pronger and whatever D-man he's pairing with will be one; Braydon Coburn(notes) and the vastly underappreciated Kimmo Timonen(notes) is the other. In a conference that has some elite teams with multiple lines of offensive weaponry -- the Penguins as the obvious example -- having that defensive talent to match is essential.

Pronger will make a very good power play even better. He's also a player that, despite his obvious discretions in the past, endears himself to teammates for exacting revenge on opponents with physical play ... and the occasional cheap shot along the way. (Gotta love Pronger acknowledging he basically plays "Flyers hockey.")

The risk isn't giving up a slew of draft picks and a top-flight defensive prospect for potentially one year of Pronger; the Flyers are stacked to the point where those picks will be low, and a player like Sbisa is the kind of asset you surrender when you're going for the Cup.

No, the risk is that the Philadelphia Flyers are once again doing exactly as they did in the 1990s. They're loaded at forward with players like Mike Richards(notes), Jeff Carter(notes) and Danny Briere(notes) (health be damned and if he's still around). They're now stacked on the blue line with the addition of Pronger. Yet they're going to make a run with, for the moment, inferior goaltending. Lindros used to have night terrors about this scenario, and yet it appears to be playing out again.

That said: The Pronger trade is an aggressive move that, frankly, could pay off in the short term better than Jay Bouwmeester(notes) would have in the long term.

Here's some of the Philly faithful on this trade starting with Broad Street Hockey, which published five "talking points" about the move:

Action Over Inaction - In 2008, the Flyers were knocked out of the playoffs by the Penguins in five games and made relatively few off-season moves.  In 2009, the Flyers were knocked out of the playoffs by the Penguins in six games and have already made huge waves by before free agency even begins by acquiring Chris Pronger and Ray Emery(notes).  Whether you agree with the trade or not, the lack of complacency is apparent.  The dissatisfaction Paul Holmgren and the rest of the Flyers staff have with last season's result is obvious, despite the fact that the team was a three goal cushion away from pushing the eventual champions to a Game 7. Some may call the reaction it reassuring urgency and commitment to improving, while others may see it as hasty scrambling that reeks of desperation.  Or perhaps both.

The 700 Level had a great analysis after the deal, with Matt P. generally endorsing the trade:

Regardless of your thoughts on what the Flyers gave up, it's hard to argue that their defense isn't significantly improved, both in terms of size and skill. They also added years to their cumulative playoff experience. When considering any potential points loss in trading away Lupul's 25 and 25, remember that Giroux will get more ice time with better players, and Pronger adds a ton of points to a blue line that often lacked offensive punch. Overall, we're ready to give Homer the benefit of the doubt on the deal, and we're excited to see Pronger in a Flyers uniform. Defensive players of his caliber are very hard to come by, and before judging heavily, remember that there are probably still moves to come.

Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer played devil's advocate:

But the move was risky on several fronts.

A boatload of young talent was traded. Moreover, Pronger is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $6.25 million. There are no assurances that he will stay beyond this season, though Holmgren is eager to negotiate an extension, and Pronger's agent, Pat Morris, is optimistic that a long-term deal can get done.

The trade also leaves the Flyers with precious little salary-cap space. They are about $5 million under the new $56.8 million cap - and still have to add a backup goalie, a right winger (they want to re-sign Mike Knuble(notes), who has drawn interest from the Penguins), and perhaps another defenseman and a fourth-line center adept at winning face-offs.

Finally, Ryan from Flyers Goal Scored By couldn't believe his eyes:

I'm still all like "really?" Will I look back on this screen shot above and think "that's when the Flyers made that move that won them the Cup?"

That the question can be asked shows what an impact this gamble is already having.

Related: Rumors, scuttlebutt, innuendo