Pronger says Flyers' defense is better

At 35 years of age Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger showed no signs of slowing down last season, his first as a Flyer, during the club's exhilarating run to Stanley Cup Final. That being said, he wouldn't mind lessening his workload a bit.

"You need to have that depth so that you aren't skipping a beat and you're not playing 30 minutes a night on defense. You are playing 22-25 minutes a night," said Pronger from the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone on Monday morning. "It allows you to try and stay a little fresher."

Last year, Pronger saw his ice time climb from 25:55 in the regular season (fifth in the league) to 29:03 in the playoffs (most in the league). Although he takes great care of himself off of the ice and manages his energy well on the ice, he likes the additions the team has made on the back end. Andrej Mezsaros and Sean O'Donnell will join the team and instantly add more depth and skill to the Top 6, giving Philadelphia what some have argued as the best defense corps in the league along with Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle and Oskars Bartulis. Matt Walker, acquired via trade with Tampa Bay on Monday, also adds some more size, toughness and depth.

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