Coburn Growing Up

Bill Meltzer on NHL.com took a look at our old pal Braydon Coburn’s maturation process with the Flyers:

Until coming to Philadelphia, Coburn spent the majority of his career with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The 22-year-old brought just 38 games of NHL experience with him to Philadelphia.

“You can’t take it personally. The Thrashers have been in first place (in the Southeast Division) most of the season and they were looking for another veteran for the playoffs. I learned a lot in Chicago, and I just want to help the Flyers now any way I can,” Coburn says. “The good thing is they have shown a lot of confidence in me here, and I’m getting to play in situations where I can prove myself.”

Flyers coach John Stevens, himself a former defenseman, says Coburn is just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of his development, at both ends of the ice.

“He can fly out there, and he’s been working hard for us. It often takes defensemen, especially big guys like Braydon, a little longer to feel comfortable and really tap into their ability. Braydon has been good for us so far, but I’d say there’s a lot of potential to be unlocked in the future,” Stevens said.

“You can see he’s got the ability to become an impact player,” says Flyers defenseman Denis Gauthier. “You look at him at think he’s going to be a very good player for our hockey team.”

Trade Analysis

For the first time in franchise history, the Thrashers have decided not to save for the future but to make moves for here and now. The Thrashers traded Braydon Coburn in exchange for Alexei Zhitnik (player info) from Philadelphia on Saturday. Less than 24 hours later, they also acquired Keith Tkachuk (player info)from St. Louis for Glen Metropolit, “first-round and third-round draft choices in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, a second-round choice in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional first-round choice in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.” Here are a sampling of the opinions on the trades, and what I think.

	Keith Tkachuk	Alexei Zhitnik
Country	Melrose, Mass.	Kiev, Ukraine
Born	Mar. 28, 1972	Oct. 10, 1972
Weight	225	214
Height	6’2”	5’11”
Career (games, G, A)	958, 466, 445	1,002, 91, 358
Playoffs (games, G, A)	81, 27, 26	94, 9, 30

Pictures from Yahoo.com

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Scott Burnside:

Whatever happens now, whether the Atlanta Thrashers flame out in the first round of the playoffs, make a run for the roses or, heck, miss the playoffs altogether, GM Don Waddell has boldly emerged from his own shadow to prove he can play with the big boys.

Was the price too much?

The answer will unfold over the coming weeks — maybe months if the Flyers can somehow coax Coburn into learning how to skate and hit. But the immediate answer is a resounding “no” because hope and belief, in general, have no price tag, and that’s what Waddell bought this weekend.

Allan Muir:

While the addition of Tkachuk makes the Thrashers better on paper, the key aspect of this deal from Atlanta’s perspective is that it puts the onus on the players to win now. No more building for the future, no more small steps. The cavalry’s arrived. It’s time to mount up.
The Edge: At the moment, let’s give the edge to Atlanta. The Thrashers didn’t pull the trigger on this deal to win the Stanley Cup. They simply need to make the playoffs for the first time, and this deal gives them a better chance to accomplish that goal.

Wes Goldstein:

Waddell paid a heavy price to salvage his team’s season, and more likely his job with the organization. Whether it works remains to be seen, but you have to give the guy credit for trying.

Jeff Schultz:

Waddell in the past has been overly concerned about “mortgaging the future.” Apparently, the message finally got through: Dude, if you don’t improve this team, there’s a good chance you have no future.

Pierre Lebrun:

Waddell transformed his team over the weekend, signalling that the future is now for a Thrashers team trying to make the playoffs for the first time in its history.

Eric Duhatschek:

Still, it’s hard to quarrel with Waddell’s thinking – or overemphasize the state of his desperation. Once the Thrashers came up short in the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes (and the belief is that Forsberg didn’t want to go there for reasons that ranged from his assessment of their post-season chances to the presence of former Avs’ coach Bob Hartley behind the bench), Waddell landed the next-best available talent. It will be up to Hartley and his staff (notably hard-ass assistant Brad McCrimmon) to coax more out of Tkachuk than he’s been able to deliver in playoffs past. Otherwise, Atlanta gave up an awful lot of its future in the misguided view that they could accomplish something in the all-too-urgent present.

Craig Custance:

I’m sure the critics will emerge saying the Thrashers overspent to pick up these two players, but I would have been much more critical if they didn’t spend at all. What would you rather have — a guy like Anson Carter for a fifth rounder or Tkachuk and Zhitnik for the price the Thrashers paid?

Spector on Tkachuk:

For now, the Thrashers and their fans will be thrilled if Tkachuk can bolster their playoff hopes. If he can, it may be worth the price.

Spector on Zhitnik:

If the Thrashers were expecting this move to put them into the playoffs, they could be disappointed. And if Coburn goes on to a bright future in Philly, it could come back to haunt them.

James Mirtle
Coburn Interview
A Flyer fan’s view
A St. Louis fan’s view
Falconer’s analysis

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My opinion:
First, let me start off by saying that Glen Metropolit and Braydon Coburn were two of my favorite players in the franchise. I am not all that sad to see them go, however. For years, Thrashers fans have argued for and wanted that huge trade in the middle of the season that would catapult the team into the playoffs. Well, this is it. Last year Don Waddell used words and guaranteed a playoff berth. This year, he has used actions to do basically the same thing.

After years of stockpiling picks and young prospects, it was time to trade in for help now. Even though Coburn is a future NHL defensemen, and a good one at that, we have plenty of talented prospects in the minors. And all the picks we gave up for Tkachuk? Again, there is plenty of young prospects to cover us for a at least five or six years.

Do I think the price of the Tkachuk trade was a bit high? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. As long as the team makes the playoff and can make a bit of noise in it, all the deals were worth it. If the team does not, Don Waddell will be looking for a new job. He mortgaged the future of the team for both today’s team, and his job. Let’s hope it works out. I will say though that I can’t wait to hear “KEITH TKACHUK!” introduced on Friday night.

BREAKING: Coburn Traded

Braydon Coburn has been traded to Philadelphia for Alexei Zhitnik. From TSN:

In 1001 career NHL games, Zhitnik has recorded 448 points and 1194 penalty minutes. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder has a heavy shot from the point and can play a physical game.

Zhitnik also has NHL playoff experience, with 94 career postseason games, though he hasn’t participated in the playoffs since 2000-2001 when he was with the Buffalo Sabres.

Coburn, 21, was the 8th overall pick in the 2003 draft and the 6-foot-5, 220-pound blueliner has four points and is plus-1 in 29 games with the Thrashers this season.

The press conference: