Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Chris Pronger will undergo surgery on his back Thursday.

The 36-year-old veteran blueliner appeared in just three of 11 playoff games for the Flyers this year due to a lower back problem and was limited to 50 regular season games because of numerous injuries.

Thursday's procedure will be his fourth surgery in the past 12 months. Pronger had knee surgery last summer as well as further procedures on his knee and foot.

On Tuesday, the Flyers announced that five other players would require off-season surgery. Captain Mike Richards (wrist), goalie Michael Leighton (hip), centre Blair Betts (finger), defenceman Andrej Meszaros (wrist) and winger Kris Versteeg (stomach muscle) will all go under the knife.

The Flyers, the East's No. 2 seed, defeated the Buffalo Sabres in the first round in seven games, but were swept by the Boston Bruins in Round 2.

-- With AP files