Chris Pronger believes NHLers should have more control over their careers

It’s been a busy offseason in the NHL, as several teams pulled off major trades and signed massive contracts, while some big names have asked for a change of scenery.

Ottawa Senators’ captain Brady Tkachuk requested a trade and was dealt to the Florida Panthers to join his brother Matthew. Detroit Red Wings’ captain Dylan Larkin asked to be moved from his hometown team. Meanwhile, Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Zach Werenski — who won the Norris Trophy this summer — was open to a trade but vetoed a deal to the Dallas Stars.

In terms of new contracts, both Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini signed five-year extensions, as the Chicago Blackhawks inked Bedard for $15 million per season, while the San Jose Sharks locked down Celebrini for $18.8 million annually.

What’s notable about both contracts is that Bedard and Celebrini chose to sign for fewer years than the seven-year maximum, part of a newer trend of young talents who prefer to take shorter-term deals in order to cash in on more money down the road.

On Wednesday’s episode of Morning Cuppa Hockey, Jonny Lazarus and former NHL defenseman Colby Cohen are joined by Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger to discuss the modern-day NHL and how much control players should have over their careers.

Colby Cohen: What is your feeling on this new era of player empowerment and players calling the shots? Where do you sit on this? Because you played the game at a different time. You just interviewed to be a team president… Where do you sit on all this right now?

Chris Pronger: The pendulum was so far skewed and the teams had all the power. I was traded five times. I asked for a trade once. I got vilified because I asked for a trade. But nobody complained the other four times when I got traded.

Players are understanding, I think more so than ever, how short their careers are. And they’re really thinking more intelligently about the opportunities that are in front of them, post-playing, all the rest of that. And I don’t think it has impacted the product on the ice, which is first and foremost the most important thing, in my opinion… The electricity and the anger and the vitriol of playoff hockey is back, where these players realize how meaningful and what it means to your career to win a Stanley Cup, to win a championship and all the rest of that. So you can see on the players’ faces a heartbreak when they do lose. and the excitement and just what it really means to win a championship with that group of guys in locker room for those that have been there a long time and fought through with guys to finally get it done.

I think the players should, and rightly, when they have the option (control their careers). We can go down this whole rabbit hole of no-move clauses and all the rest of that, it’s certainly within the players, right? They’re providing the service. But just because you ask for a trade doesn’t mean they have to trade you.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…