The pressure is off Chris Pronger.
The pressure from the Flyers, that is. By announcing that the defenseman won't be back this season or playoffs, Pronger now has months to recover from post-concussion syndrome without pangs of returning because there are no expectations.
Better yet, the uncertainty within the dressing room - WILL he come back? _ is gone. Remember the 'will he, won't he' routine surrounding Peter Forsberg's foot when he was a Flyer? Remember the distractions it caused?
Today we pressed GM Paul Holmgren on our gut feeling which was that by announcing Pronger would also miss the playoffs, the uncertainty with the room was gone and the Flyers and Peter Laviolette can move on without second guessing.
We pressed him on this: would Pronger be re-evaluated in say, March, to see whether he could return. Instead of simply dismissing it, Holmgren said it could very well happen if Pronger is feeling symptom free and he himself elects to be re-evaluated.
That tells me that there is still glimmer of hope for Pronger. At the same time, Holmgren admitted that Pronger's age - 37 - could be a decisive factor in whether this becomes a career-ending concussion.
I don't expect Pronger back. But it's clear the door has been left open and knowing Pronger as I do, HE - not the club _ is the one who told them to leave it open a crack but, at the same time, assume his season is over.
Oh yeah. The Flyers are NOT going to name an interim captain, either.
And one more thing. The doctors in Pittsburgh concur with what I have been saying all along - that Pronger's eye injury was the root cause of a concussion that got worse.
Holmgren had some interesting things to say today.
Here's my story on CSNPhilly.com:
click here 
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