Braydon Coburn Announces Retirement

Longtime NHL defenseman Braydon Coburn has officially announced his retirement from the NHL.

A #StanleyCup champion with 234 regular-season points in 983 career NHL games, blueliner Braydon Coburn has announced he will be hanging up the skates.

Full release: https://t.co/dA4K2Bfiqi pic.twitter.com/4O6hYTdIfe
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) November 12, 2021

Coburn was originally draft 8th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers back during the famous 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Although he didn't turn out to be one of the biggest names from that ridiculously elite draft class, he still had him a very good career.

He truly blossomed into a top-four defenseman after being traded from the Atlanta Thrashers to the Philadelphia Flyers for Alexei Zhitnik during the 2006-07 season. It is a move that many fans view as one of the biggest fleeces after the 2005 NHL lockout and it's a fair argument to make.

Philadelphia turned out to be an excellent match for his style of play, as he not only played a strong defensive game, but also contributed well on the scoresheet. With them, he had over 20 points three times, including 36 during the 2007-08 campaign. That's not bad production from a defensive defenseman at all.

He later would be moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning and became a key part of their blueline. He also had himself another 23-point campaign during the 2018-19 season. However, his best moment with the team was when he won the Stanley Cup with them in 2020, of course.

Coburn was dealt to the Ottawa Senators after Tampa's Stanley Cup win. In 19 games with Ottawa last season season, he had two assists. He then was traded to the New York Islanders at the deadline and played his final three NHL games with them.

In 983 career games over 16 seasons, Coburn had 49 goals, 185 assists and 234 points. He also played a very physical game, as evidenced by his 720 penalty minutes.

Congratulations on a great career, Braydon!