The Flyers have extended Chris Pronger's contract to 7 years (a 35 million front loaded contract). If Pronger stays with the Flyers for the entire contract he'll almost be 42 once it expires.

Source - http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Flyers-take-the-risk-on-Pronger-for-seven-years?urn=nhl,175247

Unless I'm mistaken, this extension will kick in once Pronger is 35, which means that Philly will be on the hook for his cap hit until the contract is over.

I'm thinking that I must have made some sort of mistake, because I don't think Holgrem, and whatever lawyers he has, are that stupid. Philly will just have wasted 5 million off their future cap, whenever Pronger decides to retire, or he'll be a 3rd pairing defenseman making 5 million in his latter years. For the the first 3 or 4 years the deal is a steal - a Norris defenseman locked up @ 5 million. It's after that when his value lessens considerably, while his cap hit stays the same.

Not too mention that the Cap will, most likely, decrease after this upcoming season which will put a number of teams in a very difficult situation...Flyers being one of them. The contract, too me, is too long-term especially since Pronger is not in his prime.

In other news Joe Sakic retired today (press conference on thursday)

=(

Goodbye Saku. I wish you could have had more success in Montreal. Good luck in Anaheim.

Deja vu..........Lemaire back coaching the Devils after not being re-signed by the Wild. He'll feel at home, going from one trapping team to another. Maybe Rolston will play better under Lemaire....he had a poor season last year.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=284629

Dale Tallon has been axed as Chicago GM. Stan Bowman (Scotty's son) replaces him.

The final straw was the snafu where qualifying offers were sent late to their RFAs, who likely became UFAs as a result. They had to sign several players for above market value contracts as a result.

This is why I'm so pessimistic on the terms of the Hossa deal. You have this, the overlong Brian Campbell contract, the expensive Cristobal Huet deal, and this latest screw-up - all with Toews and Kane coming up as RFAs next offseason, and a shrinking cap. This looks like an incompetent front office, and they may have wrecked their cap situation for the next few years.

Don't get about Keith, either. He won't get as much as the other 2, but he'll get close to 4 or possibly more.

They were in such good shape too...but a team getting weaker in the West is only good for my team.

The Campbell contract will be the one that ultimately kills them...signed till 2016, with a cap hit and salary of 7.142 Million every year. If they front loaded it, a small market team might have been willing to take him the last few years, if his salary was a couple million. I can't see any team taking him (unless someone pulls a Gainey).

Huet is getting overpaid, but his contract ending in 2012 is easier to swallow...they could possibly package him with a 1st, or one of their good prospects or send him down to the minors.

• Sharks finally sign a free agent - the 34 year old Scott Nichol (was a C for the Predators) to a 1 year deal. The agonizing wait for further moves/changes for the Sharks continues......

• oh and the 2009-2010 schedule is now out -

         http://www.nhl.com/ice/app

         (just sort by team)

• This upcoming season's winter classic will be at Fenway park - Bruins vs Flyers

My Canucks have a 14 game road trip due to the Olympics. The Vancouver Olympic Committee has control of GM Place 2 weeks before and after the Olympics. At least there's a 2 week break in between, but still an 8 game and 6 game road trip aren't the easiest things to endure.

Petr Sykora is definitely leaving the Pens. He gave an interview in Czech in which he basically says that Dan Bylsma dislikes him from their Anaheim days, and misused him as a consequence.

Yeah, it must be weird to play for a guy who was once a fourth-liner on your team (a fact Sykora harps on), but Bylsma played him in over twenty games during the stretch run of the regular season, and Sykora wasn't producing. I don't blame Bylsma for benching him in the playoffs - when your sniper isn't scoring, what use is he out there? He was playing on the scoring champion's wing, for Christ's sake. Something was deeply wrong.

Good luck with your next team (KHL?), and thanks for Game 5 of the 2008 SCF. And enjoy your day with the Cup.