Is Chris Pronger really that important?

I think it's no secret that I've been paying way more attention to the Flyers than the Sabres this year.

The last game that defenseman Chris Pronger played with the Flyers was on March 8th. He had surgery on his hand on March 17th to repair a fracture, and the Flyers have lost 8 of the 13 games they've played, with 5 games going to a shootout. Many people are chalking the losses up to Pronger's absence, but I'm not buying it.

Sure, Pronger is an important part of the team. Maybe the team is losing games because of the inconsistent goaltending. Sure Bobrovsky has some great moments, but he's still an inexperienced goaltender. In yesterday's game against the Rangers, it was obvious that the Rangers knew that Bob gets low - no wonder why they were trying to elevate their shots. Maybe the team can't get any chemistry going because coach Peter Laviolette keeps switching up the lines.

Pronger's only scored 4 goals and had 21 assists in the 50 games that he's played this season. Sure he's been dubbed the Nastiest Defenseman in the NHL. He's only blocked 114 shots this season. He's only shot the puck 112 times. The Flyers can't possibly blame their poor performance on him being out of the lineup, can they? He should be making his comeback somewhat soon, so we'll be able to stop speculating and see what kind of an impact he has on the rest of the team.

I've been impressed by Andrej Meszaros over the last couple weeks. He's stepped up in Pronger's absence, making plays defensively and stepping up to take some shots on the other end of the ice.

James Van Riemsdyk has also been stepping up as of late. He's made some nifty moves and scored some impressive goals. He's scored over 20 goals this season, including a recent hat trick against the Islanders.

Giroux, Carter, Richards, and Briere have continued to play solidly. The addition of Kris Versteeg to the roster is changing the offensive dynamic of the team as well.

Right now the Flyers are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with the Washington Capitals. I think they need to get their act together, otherwise they'll have a very short playoff run. Heck, they might even see themselves get knocked out by the Sabres.