Pronger Trade Rumor Ridiculous

It was reported Friday that Chris Pronger found a new home in the town of Los Angeles.  The unconfirmed reports said that Pronger was sent to the Kings for up-and-coming defenseman Jack Johnson and a fifth-round pick.  The LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks quickly shot down the report.  Kings GM Dean Lombardi was asked via e-mail, and he quickly responded with the simplest of replies:  “No.”

The allegations of this deal seemed bogus from the start.  First of all, it is rare that a team would let that information leak before trading is allowed by the NHL.  The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins were still yet to play a decisive Game 7 of their Stanley Cup Final series, meaning that all 30 teams were not permitted to begin trading players. 

On a pure team standpoint, this is a bad trade for Los Angeles to begin with.  Chris Pronger will be celebrating his 35th birthday this October, while Jack Johnson just turned a young 22 in January.  Los Angeles cannot be thinking that they are in any position to make a Stanley Cup run in the next few years.  Why would they go and get immediate help from a veteran defenseman rather than let a young defensive stalwart develop to make a strong run with his team in the future? 

The Kings have also made it evident that they are holding onto their money as much as possible.  They are currently the last team in spent salary, being over $14 million under the NHL salary cap.  Johnson currently is raking in $2.2 million and is eligible for restricted free-agent status after the 2009-10 campaign. While he will most likely be receiving a raise, Pronger's $6.3 million price tag is still pretty steep for a team looking to save money.  The Kings are likely holding onto their money to lock up players such as defenseman Drew Doughty, star forward Anze Kopitar and goaltender Jonathan Bernier.

The trade would be an advantage for Anaheim.  While Pronger still has a few great years left in him, Johnson is considerably younger and could be signed for a longer period than Pronger could.  Johnson would be a lock-in for the defensive side of the rink, while captain Scott Niedermayer and the skilled Francois Beauchemin are currently facing unrestricted free-agent status.  Ryan Whitney was brought in at the trade deadline from Pittsburgh to add some defensive depth, but losing Niedermayer and Beauchemin this season and possibly Pronger next summer, the team will be looking to add some more gritty defense to compete in the league.

It has happened before where two teams deny reports of a trade, but a few days later the trade occurs anyway.  This sometimes happens because there are some schematics of the trade that are still being worked out, or a team may request a physical before the trade can be processed.  This could still happen, but it is very unlikely.  While Los Angeles would acquire a smart, gritty defenseman who could help the team in every way possible in the present, they would be abandoning a large part of their future success.