Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

[Hockey Widow]

I don't fault Pronger one bit for not retiring. I get his position. It's the hiring by the NHL, without making him retire because as Bettman says, there are cap reasons why he can't retire. Bettman all but admits this is cap circumvention. It's a unique situation, an exception. Bullshit.

Given Pronger is still under contract with the Flyers they would have to consent to this job with the NHL. No way they do so unless they are guaranteed no cap hit. That's collusion.

I think we can all agree Pronger will never play again. I think we can all agree his injury is legit. None of that is being debated.

Why is the NHL so willing to help the Flyers out on this?

[ClamRussel]

Why is the NHL so willing to help the Flyers out on this?

Snider

[Vader]

Why is the NHL so willing to help the Flyers out on this?

The only party the NHL is trying to help out is the NHL. They feel Pronger is the best man for the job.

Any ex-player will have some kind of subconscious bias...collecting a cheque won't change that. The Flyers have a legal obligation to pay Pronger his money - no matter how he rules on a suspension

The Flyers don't benefit in any way shape or form from the NHL hiring Pronger from a cap standpoint

Pass the tin foil

[Island Nucklehead]

I don't fault Pronger one bit for not retiring. I get his position. It's the hiring by the NHL, without making him retire because as Bettman says, there are cap reasons why he can't retire. Bettman all but admits this is cap circumvention. It's a unique situation, an exception. Bullshit.

Given Pronger is still under contract with the Flyers they would have to consent to this job with the NHL. No way they do so unless they are guaranteed no cap hit. That's collusion.

Pretty much. The precedent was set Savard, who's still being paid by Boston.

I'm curious, though, next year Pronger is only set to make $575,000 or so in actual salary. The NHL has a serious disability and career ending disability benefit. Pronger stands to make $5,000,000 if he proves that he's suffered "loss of brain functions" (wonder if Steve Moore got this payout), and another $200K for suffering a career ending disability after 35 years old. Curious if you'll see him claim that as soon as this summer, therby officially retiring and screwing the Flyers with his $4.9M cap hit.

[Vader]

Given Pronger is still under contract with the Flyers they would have to consent to this job with the NHL. No way they do so unless they are guaranteed no cap hit. That's collusion.

Did the Panthers ask for salary cap relief when Luongo took a jobwith TSN durng the playoffs? Did Luongo have to retire to take a second job?

[ClamRussel]

Given Pronger is still under contract with the Flyers they would have to consent to this job with the NHL. No way they do so unless they are guaranteed no cap hit. That's collusion.

Did the Panthers ask for salary cap relief when Luongo took a cap with TSN durng the playoffs? Did Luongo have to retire to take a second job?

Was Luongo on LTIR and not counting against Fla/Van's cap? Was Florida in the playoffs? Are there salaries & a cap during the playoffs?

These are questions you may want to reconcile before posting nonsense.

[Vader]

Was Luongo on LTIR and not counting against Fla/Van's cap? Was Florida in the playoffs? Are there salaries & a cap during the playoffs?

These are questions you may want to reconcile before posting nonsense.

The only non-sense here is how you figure the NHL can't hire an ex-player to do a job because he has an injury and can't officially retire. He may not be officially retired but in the spirit of taking a job with the NHL, he is retired

This conversation is just sour grapes from posters who want to blame the CBA for Gillis handing out a silly contract to Luongo.

Reconcile that

[Hockey Widow]

Was Luongo on LTIR and not counting against Fla/Van's cap? Was Florida in the playoffs? Are there salaries & a cap during the playoffs?

These are questions you may want to reconcile before posting nonsense.

The only non-sense here is how you figure the NHL can't hire an ex-player to do a job because he has an injury and can't officially retire. He may not be officially retired but in the spirit of taking a job with the NHL, he is retired

This conversation is just sour grapes from posters who want to blame the CBA for Gillis handing out a silly contract to Luongo.

Reconcile that

Until he retires he is not an-ex player. How do you reconcile Bettman clearly stating there are salary cap reasons why Pronger can't retire?

[Hockey Widow]

E. Kane out minimum 2 weeks knee injury.

[Island Nucklehead]

The only non-sense here is how you figure the NHL can't hire an ex-player to do a job because he has an injury and can't officially retire. He may not be officially retired but in the spirit of taking a job with the NHL, he is retired

This conversation is just sour grapes from posters who want to blame the CBA for Gillis handing out a silly contract to Luongo.

Since when does TSN analysis have any impact on NHL games? Surely you admit there is a difference between actually suspending and fining NHL players and commenting on the games being played to a television audience? Real weak comparison.

Also, the fact you claim he's an "ex-player" is false. If he was an "ex-player", he'd be retired. Even you termed him an "injured player". Nothing former about that. Current hockey player, happens to be injured. Look here:

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/roster.htm

Wow. There he is. Officially listed on the roster of an NHL team as a d-man who is on injured reserve. Still on the roster. Still on "the team".

Put it another way. Should John Tavares have gotten a job assessing goals in Toronto last season after he blew his knee at the Olympics? What if Manny Malhotra received a job critiquing referees when the Canucks shut him down due to his eye injury? Everyone says Pronger will never play again, yet if his post-concussion symptoms stopped tomorrow, there's nothing stopping him from suiting up next week.




As long as there's a CHANCE he could return to the Flyers, as evidenced by his current status as a player on their roster, he shouldn't be employed by NHL HQ in any capacity that can affect an NHL game. A simple retirement fixes this immediately, but he wants his money. Fine. He shouldn't be entitled to an NHL salary as a player, while also receiving an NHL salary as a league executive. It's really that simple.

[Vader]

Also, the fact you claim he's an "ex-player" is false. If he was an "ex-player", he'd be retired.

Surprise, surprise, you missed the point. He is "officially" a player but in reality he is an ex-player.

Quit arguing semantics. No doctor will ever clear him to play. There is no chance of that.

Maybe the CBA should be tweaked to have wording to handle this specific situation but there is no cap circumvention here.

[Island Nucklehead]

Surprise, surprise, you missed the point. He is "officially" a player but in reality he is an ex-player.

You are aware that this is a league that lost 1.5 years due to negotiations on a 517 page legal document that governs a multi-billion dollar business? You sound like you're talking about a Jr. B league. It's the fuckin' NHL. Just because you expect them to act in a cynical manner doesn't mean we can't call Bullshit when we see it.

Quit arguing semantics. No doctor will ever clear him to play. There is no chance of that.

Can you prove this?

The fact that Pronger himself has refused to rule that out, due to the LEGAL definitions and financial ramifications contained in that 517 page Collective Bargaining agreement, clearly shows he needs to continue being an "injured player" and not a "injured former player". He's obviously taking the definitions and official wording quite seriously. It's literally worth millions of dollars for him to stay (remain, continue to be) a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Even if it's all technically legal, the NHL, by announcing Pronger will not have any input on Flyers personnel, clearly agrees that there is a conflict of interest here. I'm just curious why they'd hire him, instead of say Jason Arnott, Teemu Selanne, or Ryan Smyth, all great FORMER players. It's a terrible decision that has people talking about the league for all the wrong reasons.

[Island Nucklehead]

Maybe the CBA should be tweaked to have wording to handle this specific situation but there is no cap circumvention here.

Nonsense! Why would the league want clear guidelines that can't be ignored unilaterally at it's own convenience?

[Strangelove]

Why is the NHL so willing to help the Flyers out on this?

The only party the NHL is trying to help out is the NHL. They feel Pronger is the best man for the job.

I agree this doesn't "help the Flyers out".

And I agree "they feel Pronger is the best man for the job".

But it seems like a crazy move for two reasons...

1). Appearances sake in regards to "conflict of interest" (as mentioned by others in this thread).

2). The joke known as "Pronger Physics" after his whining about one of his many suspensions:

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2007/05 ... ics_c.html

"Of course I'm going to hit him in the head," Pronger said. "He's quite a bit shorter than me. It's just law of physics!"

"The league should make its own calls, not be pressured into anything by the media, and more to the point, the Canadian media"



THIS is the guy they just had to have on the Player Safety team!!

Ahhh NHL, don't ever change....

[Strangelove]

Given Pronger is still under contract with the Flyers they would have to consent to this job with the NHL. No way they do so unless they are guaranteed no cap hit. That's collusion.

Pretty much. The precedent was set Savard, who's still being paid by Boston.

Yeahno, that's not "collusion".

The Flyers will remain in the exact same situation they were already in regarding "cap hit".

I'm curious, though, next year Pronger is only set to make $575,000 or so in actual salary. The NHL has a serious disability and career ending disability benefit. Pronger stands to make $5,000,000 if he proves that he's suffered "loss of brain functions" (wonder if Steve Moore got this payout), and another $200K for suffering a career ending disability after 35 years old. Curious if you'll see him claim that as soon as this summer, therby officially retiring and screwing the Flyers with his $4.9M cap hit.

Pretty sure that $5m "loss of brain functions" has to be about 100 Xs more severe than these 2 injuries.

Pronger would need to be in a near vegetative state to collect lol.

Pronger would be entitled to the $200K (but he'd have to forfeit the $575 Xs 2 in salary, so why would he?)

Moore could have had $220K (old CBA) if he had agreed to waive the standard "right to sue" clause:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl ... -1.2550451

2005 CBA:
Players Age - Disability Benefit (U.S. $)
Under 21 - $300,000
21 to 26* - $370,000
27 - $300,000
28 - $220,000
29 - $150,000
30 and over - $ 75,000
* Any Player aged 21 to 26 who has not completed at least 70 NHL
Regular Season and/or Playoff Games shall receive the same benefit as those under age 21, regardless of the Player's actual age.

2013 CBA:
Player's Age - Benefit Amount (in U.S. Dollars)
Under Age 31 - $1,000,000*
Age 31 - $840,000*
Age 32 - $680,000*
Age 33 - $520,000*
Age 34 - $360,000
Age 35 and over - $200,000
* For Players with less than forty-one (41) NHL Games played in their career (including games dressed for backup goaltenders) the maximum benefit would be $500,000 U.S.

Additional benefit amounts are available for substantial injuries like paralysis and blindness.

Pratted from another site...