Flyers eye defenseman Walker for insurance

In the NHL, there is no salary cap in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Teams are free to recall and use any player they may have stashed in the minor leagues during the regular season, possibly because of salary-cap restraints, if they can successfully drag him through re-entry waivers.

And that's what the Flyers are attempting to do. According to a TSN report out of Canada, the Flyers placed defenseman Matt Walker on re-entry waivers from AHL Adirondack yesterday.

Similar to the case of Michael Leighton last week, all 29 other teams - including those no longer playing - have a chance to claim Walker for half his $1.7 million-a-year salary, which still has two seasons remaining. The Flyers would be required to pay the other half.

It's highly unlikely, though, that a team would be willing to take a stab at Walker, considering his injury history this season alone.

Walker, 31, was acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay on July 19, 2010, that sent Simon Gagne to the Lightning. Walker has played in only four games for the Flyers this season, netting zero points while collecting five hits and five blocked shots.

Walker has played in a total of only 15 games this season between the NHL and AHL. Since he has undergone two separate hip surgeries (one on each side) and a knee surgery, Walker skated only 11 times for the Phantoms.

At this point, it appears that Walker is little more than another option for Peter Laviolette, as Danny Syvret has comfortably held down the Flyers' sixth defensive spot in the absence of Chris Pronger. Syvret appeared to win the job in the final week of the season over veteran Nick Boynton, who was acquired from Chicago on waivers on Feb. 26.

Walker has played in 21 career NHL playoff games, including 17 with Chicago in 2008-09.

Pronger, meanwhile, did not skate with his teammates again yesterday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J., as the Flyers prepared to host Buffalo in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Thursday night. It is believed that Pronger has not skated at all since March 28, raising multiple red flags about why a hand injury suddenly would prevent Pronger's feet from continuing to move on the ice. Pronger is scheduled to address the media today for the first time since late last week.

General manager Paul Holmgren said in an email yesterday afternoon that Pronger remains day-to-day. He missed the last 16 games of the regular season because of right hand surgery, which was supposed to not only strengthen the small bone that was fractured but also prevent reinjury.

The Flyers worked almost exclusively on special teams yesterday, which included penalty-killing ace Blair Betts on the ice with his teammates. Betts, who is nursing a lower-body injury, appears to be ready for Game 1. He missed the last three games of the regular season.

The good news, though, is that Pronger did partake in a power-play meeting, which is a sign he could be available to play. Or not.

"We worked on the power play today and he wasn't out there," Laviolette said. "So we have to move on and prepare. It's hard to say that we're preparing as if Pronger were in there for Game 1 because he wasn't out there today. Our preparation remains the same as a group for our team."

Flyers forward Ian Laperriere and alumni members Bernie Parent, Derian Hatcher, Bob Kelly and Joe Watson will make the trip to New York City to take part in one of America's oldest traditions tomorrow.

The ringing of the opening bell is a ceremonial event to mark the beginning of the trading day for the NASDAQ stock market for investors and market participants from around the world.

For more news and analysis, read Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at

www.philly.com/FrequentFlyers.