This can be either very good or very bad for the Flyers. In the former, wiping out all or a considerable portion of Pronger's cap hit now and in future seasons goes a long way to relieving the cap crunch that Hextall is facing.
In the latter, it would be inconceivable that the NHL head office would find it acceptable to hire an individual under contract with one of their franchises and knowingly create a cap burden, particularly (though this shouldn't be a deciding factor) a team with whom they know such a move would produce cap noncompliance. Would they then turn around and penalize the Flyers by taking away draft picks?
In either case, though particularly in the latter, the timing of this announcement is especially curious. Here we are 2 games into a new season, when any necessary player moves would arguably be the most difficult to make to return to cap compliance. Pronger has been on the shelf for years; why wait all this time and particularly through the off-season before making this move? It could be that Pronger has been mulling over the offer, in which case it's on him to have stuck the knife in Hextall's back.
"He doesn't owe them anything." Sure he doesn't, Gary. But you and the NHL do, as the Flyers are not just one of 30 teams that make this league what it is, but one that has remained competitive and active financially towards your league's bottom line. If Pronger's new position resulted in a cap hit, the team would HAVE to file a grievance.
