TAMPA – When Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman acquired defenseman Braydon Coburn from the Philadelphia Flyers in the early morning hours of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 2, he wasn’t just adding a solid, veteran defenseman.
He was giving Lightning coach Jon Cooper a prime top pairing on defense.
The addition of Coburn allowed Cooper to play Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman together on his top defense pair, but the combination lasted all of four games together before Coburn broke his foot, costing him six weeks of action.