March 02, 2015
Matt Slocum/AP
The Flyers have traded defenseman Braydon Coburn to the Lightning
Braydon Coburn's wife Nadine woke her husband up at 6:30 a.m. Monday with some shocking news: he was no longer a Philadelphia Flyer.
While the 30-year-old defenseman was sleeping, the Flyers traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Radio Gudas and a pair of 2015 draft picks.
"It was a little bit of a shock to wake up to that news," Coburn told reporters Monday afternoon. "It’s been a weird day, but it is what it is."
Of course that wasn't how his general manager wanted it to go down.
Hextall said he tried to call Coburn at midnight, even before trade was formally completed, to notify him. He got his voicemail. Felt bad.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 2, 2015
This was Coburn's ninth season with the Flyers since the team acquired him from the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) in 2007. The trade to Tampa -- a contender -- is bittersweet, according to Coburn, as he considers Philadelphia his home and a source of pride.
"I was lucky to play with so many great teammates here...and playing in the Stanley Cup Final in Philadelphia, that was an unbelievable feeling as well."
"It’s tough," Coburn said. "It’s tough to leave Philly, because this has been my home. I really love it here. My family loves it here. Both my kids were born in Philadelphia, and I’m really proud of that... There’s a lot of good people here.
"By the same token, I understand it’s a business, and I’m going to a great organization in Tampa and I’ve heard nothing but great things. I’m excited to try to help them in any way I can."
But it's more than that. With the trade, Coburn went from a team teetering on the brink of elimination from the postseason to a team in the Lightning that is currently second in the Atlantic Division and tied for third overall in the Eastern Conference with 82 points.
"Tampa’s been near the top of the East all year, and they’ve got a lot of great pieces," Coburn told reporters. "They’ve got great goaltending and really significantly skilled forwards, and I think their defense is really good too. They’ve got a lot of skill in place there. I’m excited to join that group."
While Coburn said he is unsure of whom he will be paired with, there is a familiar face on the Tampa blue line -- former teammate Matt Carle.
"I think so," Coburn said when asked if his presence will help ease the transition process. "Anytime you go into a dressing room where you know some other players, it’s going to help for sure. Me and Matty were really close when he was with the Flyers here."
Carle was a member of the 2010 Flyers team that made an improbable* run to the Stanley Cup Finals, a moment that Coburn says is among his memorable experiences in Philadelphia.
"I was lucky to play with so many great teammates here in eight seasons with the Flyers," said when asked what he'll remember most about his time with the Flyers. "The times we had in the dressing room, out for dinners, and just the battles on the ice. I think when we made the playoffs in the last game of the season in the shootout with Boosh shutting the door, that was unbelievable, and playing in the Stanley Cup Final in Philadelphia, that was an unbelievable feeling as well."
In 576 games with the Flyers, he has a total of 161 points (37 goals, 124 assists) and a plus-minus rating of plus-24.
Now with Tampa, Coburn will have another shot to play for a Cup. But what about the direction his now-former team is heading? Coburn said he didn't have a chance to think about what the Flyers got back in return because he's "been busy with phone calls and making new acquaintances, and saying goodbye to some old ones."
What general manager Ron Hextall got in exchange for Coburn is a 6-0, 204-pound physical defenseman in Radko Gudas and first- and third-round picks* in the 2014 draft.
Like Coburn, Gudas, 24, was surprised to find out he was traded.
"I found out in the middle of the night," Gudas told reporters. "I didn’t think I was going to get traded so I was totally in shock. But I’m excited to join a new organization and see how I do there."
He's also excited to be joining his friend -- and NHL points leader -- Jake Voracek, and said that going from a playoff team to one on the outside looking in wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"I see it as a different opportunity," Gudas said. "Philadelphia wanted me to play for them, so I’m excited to be on a team that’s excited to have me. I’m looking forward to joining... It’s not as if I’m looking at the standings and I see one team here and one team there. I see opportunity and I’m looking forward to playing hockey."
However, he might not be playing hockey for some time.
Gudas, who has one year left on his contract and carries a cap hit of $991,667 next season, is currently recovering from knee surgery he underwent in January and is not expected to be ready to play until the postseason at the earliest, meaning he may not even get a chance to suit up for the Flyers this season.
"We’re working on it pretty much every day here and trying to get better," Gudas said of his knee. "It’s good, it’s just going to take a little while more to be able to skate. I’ve got to take it step-after-step right now."
Hextall thinks that once Gudas is able to return -- he said that likely won't be until next season -- he'll bring an edge to the Flyers blue line.
"He’s very highly competitive," the first-year GM said of his newest player. "And I felt like the one thing we wanted to do was get a little bit more competitive. When I say competitive… we’ve got a lot of competitive guys, but there’s guys that compete quietly and guys that compete loudly.
"I would say Radko competes loudly. I think everybody knows it. He brings energy to a game, he brings enthusiasm, and he brings a win-at-all-costs type of attitude."
The Czech blue-liner was taken in the third round (66th overall) of the 2010 draft. In 126 games over three seasons for the Lightning, he has seven goals and 25 assists. In 2014, Gudas appeared in 71 games for Tampa, averaging 19:08 ice time, and scored three goals to go with his 19 assists. This year, he played in 31 games before his injury, tallying 5 points (two goals, three assists) in 17 minutes per game.
Now that the 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline has passed, the Flyers will focus on a playoff push going forward.
And although the trades made over the last few days returned mostly draft picks and won't bring any immediate improvements to the roster, Hextall believes his team is still in position to make a late run.
"I think we’re in a good spot," Hextall told reporters. "I think we left our team in a spot where we can continue to battle for the playoffs. We could have depleted the troops here, and we didn’t choose to do that. We want to give them a fair shot.
"In saying that, I told you guys before we weren’t going to trade picks or young players to try to get into the playoffs, but also we’re not going to trade away pieces that take us right out of there. So we’re happy with where we’re at right now."
After his first deadline as a general manager, Hextall should be happy with what he accomplished, adding draft picks while not irreparably harming their chances this season. But he sees a lot of work left to be done.
"I don’t know if you ever look and say you’ve accomplished everything, because you always have a lot of visions," Hextall said of the team's larger goals. "But I think we accomplished part of what we wanted to. We’ve got work to do. We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and the next two or three years, and we know it. There’s nothing wrong with that.
"Essentially the work never ends because even when you build a top team or you get near the top, you still want to stay there and you want to win."
The Flyers return to action when they host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
