The National Hockey League Department of Player Safety is believed to have interest in adding former Philadelphia Flyers captain Chris Pronger to its staff.

However, as TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie wrote on Twitter Wednesday, the process of getting Pronger into the office would likely require his status as an active NHLer being addressed.

Pronger - who has not played an NHL game since the 2011-12 season - remains on Philadelphia's long-term injured reserve. He has not formally retired.

Since Pronger was over the age of 35 when he signed his last contract with the Flyers - which is worth an average annual value of $4.9 million through the end of the 2016-17 season - his annual average would go against the Flyers' salary cap obligations. This situation has been avoided over the past two-plus seasons by virtue of the injured reserve.

To this end, McKenzie reports, the NHL Players' Association is involved.

NHLPA spokesperson Jonathan Weatherdon told McKenzie that "the league contacted the NHLPA about this matter yesterday and our discussions with them are ongoing. We are working to get this matter resolved in a timely manner.”

Even if an agreement were to be reached on his active status between the NHLPA and the Department of Player Safety, however, a potential conflict of interest would also factor in to the decision.

"A job with Player Safety would potentially give Pronger input into suspensions/fines/discipline involving all 30 NHL teams," McKenzie wrote, "The issue with Pronger, of course, is there may be perception of an affiliation with an individual club if he's still on LTIR."

The official reason Pronger has remained on the injured reserve is post-concussion syndrome, though the big defenceman also underwent knee surgery in Nov. of 2011. That surgery came nine days after what currently stands as Pronger's final NHL game: Nov. 19, 2011 in Winnipeg against the Jets.

One of the dominant blueliners of his era, Pronger has scored 157 goals and 541 assists in 1,167 career NHL games with the Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues and Hartford Whalers. He won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007 and his individual accolades include a Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most ValuabNHL Department of Safety le Player and the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's top defenceman while with the Blues in 2000.

He has represented Canada on numerous occasions internationally, winning an Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and another at the 2010 Vancouver Games. He also won World Junior gold in 1993 and a World Championship gold in 1997.