Chris Pronger

All the bold moves the Flyers made in the offseason will mean very little if a certain future Hall of Fame defenseman isn't healthy this season. Which is why the Flyers breathed a collective sigh of relief when their latest captain, Chris Pronger, returned to action Thursday in a 2-1 exhibition win against New Jersey. With a healthy Pronger leading the defense, quarterbacking the power play, and making sure the locker room is in sync, the Flyers could have a special season.

After a four-surgery season he called "the year from hell," new captain Chris Pronger was in the Flyers lineup Thursday for the first time in the preseason. Pronger found his rhythm after looking a bit rusty in the opening period. The 6-foot-6 defenseman helped set up the Flyers' two power-play goals in a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center. "I thought I did OK," Pronger said. "The first period was pretty fast, and it was a good way to kind of get back in the flow.

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, trying to rebound from four surgeries, is already in midseason form. It has nothing to do with his surgically repaired body parts. It has everything to do with his playfully sarcastic personality. In one corner of the Flyers locker room last week in Voorhees, Captain Snarl was telling a reporter it was the worst part of his day. Why? "Because I'm looking at you," he deadpanned. Laughter echoed around the room. About 40 feet away, new forwards Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr were cracking jokes, and chatty goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was holding court with the media, telling reporters to "have a seat" and explaining how fans have welcomed him warmly.

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger is making so much progress that general manager Paul Holmgren expects him to be ready for the Oct. 6 opener in Boston. Speaking for the first time since he broke his shoulder and ribs in a bicycle accident Sept. 5, Holmgren said Pronger was "on track" to start the season with the team. "Physically, Chris is feeling better than even he thought he would," Holmgren said after the rookies went through the second day of prospect camp at the Skate Zone in Voorhees.

It isn't a stretch to call Brad McCrimmon the most influential person in Chris Pronger's career. "He had a great deal to do with it," Pronger, the future Hall of Fame defenseman, said on Thursday, one day after McCrimmon was among those killed in a plane crash carrying the professional Russian hockey team he coached. Forty-three people died in the tragedy, including all but one member of the Lokomotiv KHL team. The league on Thursday postponed the start of its season until Monday.

The nucleus of a sports team gets only so many chances to define itself. Injuries intervene. Pucks bounce oddly. A better opponent gets in the way. Age happens. And then, almost always sooner than anyone ever predicts, it is time to trade away a piece or two in an attempt to create a better karma.   THAT PARAGRAPH was written only 2 months ago, on the day after the Flyers somehow survived 2 weeks of playing Three Goaltender Monte - "Boucher's under the middle shell, I'm positive" - against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Flyers announced Tuesday that they have acquired the rights to goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for LW Matt Clackson, the Flyers' 3rd round draft choice in 2012 and a conditional draft choice, according to general manager Paul Holmgren. Bryzgalov, 30, appeared in 68 games for the Coyotes last season, his fourth with the club. He posted a 36-20-10 record, a 2.48 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage while recording seven shutouts. He was also a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy following the 2009-10 season.

Chris Pronger is just as concerned with Mike Richards' back as he is his own. Pronger's back issues are medical. Richards' are figurative. In the wake of the Flyers' disappointing, second-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Bruins, a lot of chatter has taken place as to whether Richards is best suited to be the Flyers' captain. Pronger, who knows a thing or two about the demands and rewards of NHL captaincy, jumped to Richards' defense. Well, Pronger is 2 weeks removed from back surgery, so he didn't actually jump, but you get the idea.

Snowflakes falling, the smell of crab fries sizzling in Old Bay and the sound of hockey pucks bouncing off the glass just a few feet from where Ryan Howard launches balls that make the Liberty Bell gyrate. Those are just a few of things you can look forward to this winter at Citizens Bank Park. The Winter Classic is coming to Philadelphia. While a league source has confirmed that no contract has been signed, the Flyers will be hosting the NHL's annual outdoor game this winter at Citizens Bank Park, as first reported by the Daily News last month.

SEE IF YOU notice the pattern. Q: Why do the Flyers need a goaltender? A: Chris Pronger. Q: Why did the Flyers lose to the Bruins? A: Chris Pronger. Q: Who is the Flyers' most important health issue? A: Chris Pronger. You really don't have to read the rest if you don't feel like it. This is about the issue that should dominate the Flyers' thinking in the offseason. This is about Chris Pronger. The Flyers slumped down the stretch of the regular season when Pronger broke a hand, and they were bounced in the second round of the playoffs when he injured his back, and now he is a 36-year-old potentially facing surgery on a herniated disc, and now the Flyers had better be in more of a hurry than they were last summer.