@jayRecher
The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced today that they have re-signed veteran defenseman Braydon Coburn to a two-year deal worth $1.7M per year.
Coburn had 4 goals and 19 assists last year for the Bolts and provides a stabilizing force on the Tampa Bay blue line.
In the 2017-18 season, it looked like father time was creeping up on "Coby" but he seemed to find another gear and played really well for the Bolts in their run to the Eastern Conference Final.
Last season, Coburn carried over that strong play and was a staple in the Tampa Bay lineup for the entire season playing in 74 of the 82 games played. His skating seems to have gotten better and he is never afraid to throw down the gloves and stick up for his teammates.
(Check out a video of him sticking up for ex-teammate Brian Boyle in 2015 below)
Many Lightning fans' last memory of Coburn was that he was replaced in the lineup by Jan Rutta for the first two games of the series against Columbus but came back and finished with a point and a +2 in Games 3 and 4.
The Bolts front office must have liked what they've seen from Braydon in the last 18 months so they decided to bring him back on a very team-friendly deal. Coburn is a locker room leader and will be a key component in fortifying the back end to provide that support for Andrei Vasilevskiy.
More deals could be on the horizon with the NHL Draft quickly approaching on Friday. Make sure to follow us on Twitter at @953WDAE and tune into 95.3 WDAE and AM 620 for the Best Bolts Coverage.