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Ducks’ Pronger can only wait and see

May 19th, 2009, 6:00 am · 11 Comments · posted by Dan Wood, Staff writer

ANAHEIM — It’s not like Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger hasn’t been down a similar path before.

Just as before the March 4 NHL trade deadline, Pronger is well aware that he could be on the move this summer, if Ducks general manager Bob Murray should decide that dealing the five-time all-star and the $6.25 million remaining on his contract next season is in the club’s best interest.

Ironically, Pronger’s future could very well be tied to that of fellow blue-line star Scott Niedermayer. Should Niedermayer retire or sign elsewhere as a free agent, the Ducks would almost certainly keep Pronger. Should Niedermayer return, the Ducks would likely have a difficult time also accommodating the 2009-10 salaries of Pronger and Ryan Whitney ($3.5 million) while also trying to re-sign unrestricted free agent Francois Beauchemin and restricted free agent James Wisniewski.

“I’ll tell you the same thing I told you at the deadline — it is what it is,” Pronger said Saturday, when players met with Murray and Coach Randy Carlyle before beginning the off-season.

“It’s a part of the game that we all have to learn to deal with,” Pronger said. “There are obviously a lot of big question marks here with this team now, with possible retirements, possible trades or signings, guys leaving through free agency. That’s part of the business side of the game. There are salary-cap issues. There’s a whole host of things that Bob and the organization have to deal with.

“I’m sure I’ll fall a little further down on that list. They have to figure out what the other guys are doing first, I guess, before they figure out what they’re going to do with me.”

Pronger, 34, stepped up his game considerably down the stretch and during the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Ducks defeated the Presidents’ Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in the first round and took the defending champion Detroit Red Wings to the seven-game limit in the second round.

Pronger played all 82 regular-season games, putting up 11 goals, 48 points and an even plus-minus mark while averaging a team-leading 26 minutes, 56 seconds per game, one second more than Niedermayer.

Pronger was even better in the playoffs, collecting two goals, 10 points, a plus-4 mark and a team-high average of 27:12 in 13 games. Even more impressive was his penalty-minute total of only 12, proving that the oft-suspended Pronger can be effective without landing in front of NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell.

While the idea of dealing Pronger for a couple of younger players, say a forward and a defenseman, might have seemed attractive when the Ducks were struggling before the trade deadline, it is now considerably more problematic to envision the club’s blue-line corps minus the 6-foot-6, 214-pound standout.

“I can only handle what happens on the ice and what I do to help the team win,” Pronger said. “Other than that, it’s completely out of my hands.”

Once Niedermayer makes his intentions clear, Murray will be able to deal head-on with other matters, including those involving Pronger, Beauchemin and Wisniewski. It’s still awfully tantalizing to ponder a blue line that includes both Pronger and Niedermayer, a tandem that was the driving force behind the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup championship.

Pronger, like everyone else, will wait on Niedermayer.

“He’s obviously been a huge part of this team for four years,” Pronger said. “Anybody who can skate like that has a lot of time left. I think it’s whether he has the desire and the passion and the will to play. He’s the only one that can tell you that.”

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 11 Comments

  • JohnP says:
    May 19, 2009 at 8:54 am

    Let’s say that Selanne does NOT come back…what happens to the second-line? Did Ebbett’s success come from having Selanne around? This year’s offseason will be filled with a lot of hard decisions for the Ducks trying to figure out what to do with aging but proven stars and how to lock up and handle new upcoming stars. With the cap coming down, it’s going to be hard for other teams to lure players away with huge offers (penner) so the Ducks’ players need to look inside to see if it’s worth taking a pay-cut to stay in Anaheim. Personally I’d like to see more of the youth coming in and taking over if this team is going to continue down the stretches…it was young players that stepped up (AHL and deadline trades) and helped the Ducks make it to the playoffs.

  • backcheck says:
    May 19, 2009 at 10:45 am

    First and only option is wait for Scott. Tick tock tick tock.

    Second option should be trade Jiggy on or before Draft Day.

    Third option is to let Todd Marchant & Rob Niedermayer go UFA, a cap saving of $4.5M.

    Trading Pronger should be a 4th option.

    This is all assuming Bob Murray sets re-upping Wisniewski & Beauchemin his second priority after Cap. At $3.5M Whitney is cheap. If the cap goes down each of the next 2-3 years, we’ll be glad to have Whitney.

  • ClippinWings says:
    May 19, 2009 at 10:51 am

    on the Ebbett subject, Murray was very clear in his press conference that he did not think Ebbett had enough success to be a 2nd line center… at least not the second line center on this team. In fact, his exact quote was:

    “We have to get better on that second line. This is no criticism to people that were playing there for us, but we just have to get some secondary scoring…
    …We’ve tried to find a centerman on that second line twice and let’s face facts, we’re 0-for-2. I can’t go 0-for-3.”

    And people thought Burke was blunt?!

    • Jack O. Snap says:
      May 19, 2009 at 11:33 am

      I believe Murray meant Morrison and Christensen in that 0-for-2 comment. Christensen has always been projected and played as a Top Sixer, and Randy Carlyle decided that was too much pressure and that it was more important to build his confidence in the Bottom Six. But when Murray made that trade, he was looking for a new second line center. I would think he thought of Ebbett as a placeholder, not someone he put in that line as a GM.

      • Dan Wood, Staff writer says:
        May 19, 2009 at 1:29 pm

        For what it’s worth, I am quite certain that Bob Murray’s “O-for-2” comment referred to the 2007 trade acquisition of Doug Weight (in the Andy McDonald deal with St. Louis) and the 2008 free-agent signing of Brendan Morrison. When the Ducks first obtained Erik Christensen in March, their plan was to play him at left wing on a line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. I don’t think they ever really envisioned Christensen as the answer to the second-line center question. I also think everyone, inside and outside the organization, admires the effort and performance of Andrew Ebbett after he came up from Iowa. Teemu Selanne, for one, couldn’t say enough good things about Ebbett, even after the season. Whether Ebbett is the long-term answer on the second line is debatable. Perhaps he would be if the Ducks acquire another high-octane winger, and if Selanne returns.

        • ClippinWings says:
          May 19, 2009 at 2:47 pm

          Dan… read Murray’s comments from Hockey this morning on XM today.

          It is pretty clear that Ebbett is not in the plans as 2nd line Center going forward.

          So whether that 0-2 is Weight & Morrison, or Morrison and Ebbett is really of no consequence as Ebbett is clearly not in line for the job in Murray’s mind.

          funny but since you bring up Weight, I guess the Ducks are already 0-3

  • Alex says:
    May 19, 2009 at 9:33 pm

    With the salary cap going down to what, 50 million approximately from what I’ve read, they need to get the most bang for the buck. Pronger is worth keeping, but Giguere received an overly generous contract. I always felt he was hit and miss and saw him replaced quite often by Bryzgalov in the past when his performance was shaky. But this season Hiller earned the spot I hate to say and they should explore other options. If he isn’t given the starting position, I see him waving his not trade clause and playing for the Kings!

    But then again, I’ve had a long day and two beers…. still recovering from the Red WIngs and Blackhawks OT.

    • ClippinWings says:
      May 20, 2009 at 9:40 am

      No way do the kings spend that kind of money on a goalie.

      Even though having an actual proven #1 would most likely instantly make their team a playoff team… The Kings just do not value goaltending, if they did they would have nabbed Bryz off waivers when they had the chance.

  • MIke Hawk says:
    May 19, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Better off trading him east, don’t want him coming back as a playoff monster eating the ducks.

  • John says:
    May 20, 2009 at 9:25 am

    Trading Pronger is a HUGE mistake. We become a very NICE team to play against as a result.

  • Alex says:
    May 21, 2009 at 2:08 am

    Exactly, a very nice team to play against. This isn’t scones and tea with grandma boys, its freaking hockey. Having someone with Pronger’s presence on the ice does a lot for the team and those who don’t get it, aren’t going to get.

    I’m going to get a jerk, keep Giguere as a back up goalie and pressure him to waive his no trade. To those who said Hiller wasn’t as good as his numbers showed…. what games were you watching? I have the whole season on my computer and those games with Jiggy, numbers or not, Hiller did a better job hands down.

    Its tough guys, I was a fan of Giguere but its time to move on.