"I like to hire smarter people than myself, make myself look smarter. Pronger is that," Tallon said Thursday. "I've gotten to know him for the last four, five years. He's got a lot to say. He doesn't sugarcoat it. I like his approach, I like his knowledge and he's opinionated and we like a staff that has that in them and we have those type of people. I'm looking forward to Chris and [director of player personnel] Bryan McCabe working together."
The native of Dryden, Ontario, finished his NHL playing career with 698 points (157 goals, 541 assists) in 1,167 games with the Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers. He was selected by the Whalers with the No. 2 pick of the 1993 NHL Draft and played his final game on Nov. 19, 2011.
"I'm excited to work with him," Pronger said of Tallon. "There's a lot I can learn from him and hopefully I can add a fresh eye and perspective to where we're trying to get to."
Pronger was a First-Team NHL All-Star in 1999-2000 and a Second-Team All-Star three times. He won the Hart Trophy as League MVP and the Norris Trophy as top defensemen in 2000, becoming the first defenseman to win the Hart Trophy since Bobby Orr in 1972. Pronger won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007 and helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Pronger said he's open to working on the ice if asked.
"I'm going to leave that up to [coach] Bob [Boughner]," he said. "It's his call, his say. If he's got questions, if I see anything, I'll certainly let him know. But if he wants me to help some kids out, I'm more than happy to if it fits. That's entirely his call."
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, and was named to the 100 Greatest NHL Players presented by Molson Canadian on Jan. 27.
