Chris Pronger wants out of Edmonton

[BCBoy]

Sportsnet has reported that Pronger wants to be traded because of personal reasons.

WOW.

This happening, RIGHT after the playoffs, where he was a potential Conn Smyth winner...and he still has 4 years left on his contract.

Link

[VC//]

Hahah...this is the 2nd good laugh i've had today. 1st was when my buddy said Calgary is better than Vancouver in terms of best cities in western canada. I couldn't stop laughing, i have a stomach ache.

[TBGKon]

Where is Pronger from, maybe he wants to play closer to home

[steiny_ramone]

Where is Pronger from, maybe he wants to play closer to home

Dryden, ON I think?

Possible Leaf? Let the debating begin.

It's unfortunate though, he was really playing well. But on the other hand, without his big contract, the Oilers might be able to afford just about everybody else.

[officeglenn]

Where is Pronger from, maybe he wants to play closer to home

Dryden, ON I think?

Possible Leaf? Let the debating begin.

It's unfortunate though, he was really playing well. But on the other hand, without his big contract, the Oilers might be able to afford just about everybody else.

Yeah, he's from Dryden. A couple of people I worked with in an old job grew up there too. Apparently he's a bit of a jerk when he goes back there.

I read in the Edmonton Sun today that the Oilers were kicking the tires on Wade Redden, and if they signed him, he'd be making about as much as Pronger and they wouldn't be able to afford both of them. So I don't know ... could be very interesting.

[NJTank]

Thats a shocker with the Oilers trip to the finals you would think he would be happy, I know I would be happy, betetr than being in St. Louis last year.

[winters in buffalo]

You could see him end up a Penguin by the end of the day. Pittsburgh has been looking to deal their 1st round pick for a solid defenseman.

[CMUBrent]

Ouch! Talk about the proverbial kick to the groin, Ric Flair style.

[lopernv]

It's for his family, they wants to be closer to the city, just passing on what I heard on the radio, so it's probably a move to a bigger populated city. Maybe Toronto or New York?

[Stampman]

Hahah...this is the 2nd good laugh i've had today. 1st was when my buddy said Calgary is better than Vancouver in terms of best cities in western canada. I couldn't stop laughing, i have a stomach ache.

No thanks for your laugh--

I've spent time in both cities--and while Vancouver has some good points to it--Give me Calgary any day...

[STL FANATIC]

I've been away from pretty much all things electronic for a week...so I know very little about this and have heard no rumors of Pronger coming back to STL...

...but I have heard that it was in large part his wife who wanted a different city and she is from St. Louis and never moved with him (at least anything close to full time) from St. Louis.

That doesn't mean he's coming back to St. Louis, but it might mean it'd be a place he'd be happy to come back to. I'd do sooo much to get him back, too...

[CoryB]

The "rumour" I've been hearing is that his wife is from a richer family, and doesn't like to spend time away from the US. She's from St. Louis. She's what prompted him to ask for the trade. Of course, that may just be what bitter fans are saying, but I've heard it from different sources. And, of course, they're just rumours as nothing official has been stated.

Personally, as long as the Oilers get a good and hopefully equivalent player in return, it doesn't matter if he goes. We've had much better players leave our team, and we've survived, and I understand the pressures playing in the NHL could put on a family. What I don't like is yet another player choosing personal issues over commitment to a team (I see it as starting with Lindros and his refusal to play for the team that drafted him). Now there is no loyalty, save for a rare few players. Most players will play for maybe 10 years, and move around during that time. It's part of the job, no matter what team you play for.

[yh]

I think it's quite possible he'll be back in St. Louis when all is said and done. With a young defensive corps soon to feature Erik Johnson, Pronger would be an excellent mentor on and off the ice. It would also be a very doable transaction for new owner Dave Checketts and one which would resonate very strongly with Blues fans who are looking for a sign of commitment to a rapid turnaround from last year's fire sale squad. I'd put the odds of Pronger back in the Note at around 60%.

[Brendan]

What I don't like is yet another player choosing personal issues over commitment to a team (I see it as starting with Lindros and his refusal to play for the team that drafted him). Now there is no loyalty, save for a rare few players. Most players will play for maybe 10 years, and move around during that time. It's part of the job, no matter what team you play for.

hockey is a job, family is life. You have your priorites mixed up if you choose your job ahead of your family. If Chris family dosen't like Edmonton i dont blame him for wanting a trade. He has to do whats best for his family. He cant say to his family I dont care if you dont like edmonton i do and im loyal.

[officeglenn]

What I don't like is yet another player choosing personal issues over commitment to a team (I see it as starting with Lindros and his refusal to play for the team that drafted him).  Now there is no loyalty, save for a rare few players.  Most players will play for maybe 10 years, and move around during that time.  It's part of the job, no matter what team you play for.

hockey is a job, family is life. You have your priorites mixed up if you choose your job ahead of your family. If Chris family dosen't like Edmonton i dont blame him for wanting a trade. He has to do whats best for his family. He cant say to his family I dont care if you dont like edmonton i do and im loyal.

No offense, Brendan, but I have to wonder if you'd be singing the same tune if it was Vancouver he was wanting away from.

He has said that it's not about the city, the fans or the team ? just these "personal family reasons." Meanwhile, though, the Edmonton media has just been skewering him over this. All over the papers on Sunday was a quote from GM Kevin Lowe that the trade request was "a shot in the gut," and the Edmonton Sun today ran a giant headline on the front of its sports section reading, "Our Own Yoko?" Ouch.

[STL FANATIC]

I think it's quite possible he'll be back in St. Louis when all is said and done. With a young defensive corps soon to feature Erik Johnson, Pronger would be an excellent mentor on and off the ice. It would also be a very doable transaction for new owner Dave Checketts and one which would resonate very strongly with Blues fans who are looking for a sign of commitment to a rapid turnaround from last year's fire sale squad. I'd put the odds of Pronger back in the Note at around 60%.

You can reply here or shoot me a PM or whatever, but can you go into more detail about where your confidence of 60% comes from?

I'm not questioning you at all. It's just that I've looked all over for some rumor already that could give me some confidence about it, and I haven't even been able to for sure confirm the Blues are interested in getting him back.

Perhaps your looking more at technicalities than any rumors that have actually surfaced, and that's fine, I'd just be interested to hear them, because I wanna have the confidence.

I have that confidence that there is probably a 70% chance Weight comes back to St. Louis (I see 20% he goes back to Carolina and 10% elsewhere), but I haven't been able to encourage myself that much regarding Pronger. So, I'd love it if you could do that for me.

[STL FANATIC]

What I don't like is yet another player choosing personal issues over commitment to a team (I see it as starting with Lindros and his refusal to play for the team that drafted him).  Now there is no loyalty, save for a rare few players.  Most players will play for maybe 10 years, and move around during that time.  It's part of the job, no matter what team you play for.

hockey is a job, family is life. You have your priorites mixed up if you choose your job ahead of your family. If Chris family dosen't like Edmonton i dont blame him for wanting a trade. He has to do whats best for his family. He cant say to his family I dont care if you dont like edmonton i do and im loyal.

No offense, Brendan, but I have to wonder if you'd be singing the same tune if it was Vancouver he was wanting away from.

He has said that it's not about the city, the fans or the team ? just these "personal family reasons." Meanwhile, though, the Edmonton media has just been skewering him over this. All over the papers on Sunday was a quote from GM Kevin Lowe that the trade request was "a shot in the gut," and the Edmonton Sun today ran a giant headline on the front of its sports section reading, "Our Own Yoko?" Ouch.

You might be right that Brendan would feel different if it were Vancouver, but that would just be his own desires for the Canucks clouding his view. I tend to agree that when a player makes a request for his family, that it is generally alright. Maybe his family is being selfish, but that doesn't mean Pronger himself is.

Now, when a guy leaves for money, then you can question loyalty a little more (depending on what the money is...it's all been my perogative that 9 mill over 8 mill is crap, but if your looking at 3 mill over 1 mill...well thats a little more understandable).

[jkrdevil]

Guys it's going to be awhile before Pronger gets traded if he ends up being traded. If Lowe is smart (and I think he is a smart GM) he will wait untill the top FA defenseman have signed thus driving up the price for Pronger for those teams that didn't land the FA. Also by waiting it gives him time to see if Pronger will back off the trade demands. If Pronger is traded it won't before at least mid-July.

[Brendan]

What I don't like is yet another player choosing personal issues over commitment to a team (I see it as starting with Lindros and his refusal to play for the team that drafted him).  Now there is no loyalty, save for a rare few players.  Most players will play for maybe 10 years, and move around during that time.  It's part of the job, no matter what team you play for.

hockey is a job, family is life. You have your priorites mixed up if you choose your job ahead of your family. If Chris family dosen't like Edmonton i dont blame him for wanting a trade. He has to do whats best for his family. He cant say to his family I dont care if you dont like edmonton i do and im loyal.

No offense, Brendan, but I have to wonder if you'd be singing the same tune if it was Vancouver he was wanting away from.

He has said that it's not about the city, the fans or the team ? just these "personal family reasons." Meanwhile, though, the Edmonton media has just been skewering him over this. All over the papers on Sunday was a quote from GM Kevin Lowe that the trade request was "a shot in the gut," and the Edmonton Sun today ran a giant headline on the front of its sports section reading, "Our Own Yoko?" Ouch.

If Chris was a Canuck then ya i would be upset. But I would still be supporting Chris descicion, becuase i realize family is more important than hockey. Coryb said What I don't like is yet another player choosing personal issues over commitment to a team. It should be the other way around family should be first no matter what.

[CoryB]

What I don't like is yet another player choosing personal issues over commitment to a team (I see it as starting with Lindros and his refusal to play for the team that drafted him).  Now there is no loyalty, save for a rare few players.  Most players will play for maybe 10 years, and move around during that time.  It's part of the job, no matter what team you play for.

hockey is a job, family is life. You have your priorites mixed up if you choose your job ahead of your family. If Chris family dosen't like Edmonton i dont blame him for wanting a trade. He has to do whats best for his family. He cant say to his family I dont care if you dont like edmonton i do and im loyal.

Don't get me wrong, brendan17 - I have a wife and three kids - my job barely comes in fourth. I work to make money so I can have a life.

However, being a professional hockey player is different than what I do. You go into that career knowing you could be playing anywhere. That's the fact. Being traded to another team is a part of the job. I understand the reasons he wants a trade, and I actually respect that - but it still creates problems for the Oilers.

The team had a dynamic with all it's players - heck, he was with them up to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final - and that will be changed. He's a hard player to replace. The team has to now find a solution, trying to get a good deal for him. That's work that's taken away from signing the free agents they now have (which Pronger is not - he has four years left on his contract). If they can't make a deal that's good for them (and it's all about the team here - he's not going to be traded unless the team is satisfied with who they get in return) Pronger will either sit out or not be a functional part of the team. There's also the perception that Edmonton may not be a great place to live - which is untrue, by the way, and I'm not just saying that because I live here. That may cause some problems in the future with other players.

If he has a problem with the team itself, that's acceptable. Sometimes it just doesn't work. If it is just because his wife doesn't like the shopping options in Edmonton, then, yes, that's a problem. She married a professional athlete who can be moved to any team at any point in his career, and until his sports career is over that's a part of his job. She needs to understand that (that may sound sexist, but if the genders were reversed I would give the same answer). She needs to give a little. He'll only be a professional athlete for so long, then that will change.

If there are any other reasons, which there probably are, then it depends on how selfish they are. We don't know what those reasons are, so it's only rumour and speculation. Right now, it's selfishness on his wife's part, and until the real reason is revealed (if it actually ever is) and it's much different than that, then Pronger loses some of my respect.