Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger didn't have to wait long to get a contract extension from his new team.

Soon after reports appeared on July 6th claiming Pronger was hopeful of re-signing a long-term extension with the Flyers, it was reported he'd re-upped with the club to a seven-year, $35 million contract which would take effect at the beginning of the 2010-11 season.

Pronger, 34, was acquired by the Flyers during the NHL Entry Draft weekend from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa and two first round draft picks.

While he's still considered among the league's elite defensemen and plays with a strong physical style that is bound to make him a fan favorite in Philadelphia, there are some concerns about this lengthy deal.

It takes Pronger up to age 41, which is long in the tooth for NHL players and there's no guarantee he'll still be playing by then.

The deal is reportedly heavily front-loaded to give it a more cap-friendly hit of less than $5 million per season, plus by signing this deal before his 35th birthday if Pronger should retire before the end of the deal it will come off the Flyers books.

Where the problem comes in could be how it affects the Flyers already tight salary cap for the first season of the deal.

According to nhlnumbers.com, the Flyers for the 2010-11 season had nearly $40 million already committed to 11 players prior to Pronger's signing. Adding that nearly $5 million cap hit pushes them to around $45 million for 12 players.

That might not be much of a problem if the cap were to remain around $56.8 million, but there's been warnings the current recession in North America could have an adverse effect upon NHL revenues, which in turn could drive the salary cap downward by perhaps as much as $5 million for the 2010-11 season.

If that happens the Flyers will be left with perhaps only $6-$7 million in available cap space, which could once again lead to some fancy cap juggling by GM Paul Holmgren, which could include perhaps trying to dump salary in order to afford to re-sign defensemen Braydon Coburn and Ryan Parent, plus perhaps either re-sign Ray Emery or shop again for another starting goaltender.