http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/22975 Recent articles about Braydon Coburn en-us Amidst all the free agent signings and trades, the Flyers also found time to sign a pair of restricted free agents yesterday, defenseman Randy Jones and forward Riley Cote. Jones signed a two year deal worth 5.5 million overall while Cote signed a three year deal worth 550,000 per year. These signings likely round out the Flyers roster, which, if the season started today, would look something like this: Gagne/Briere/Hartnell Lupul/Richards/Giroux Upshall/Carter/Knuble Cote/Metropolit/Downie Timonen/Coburn Hatcher/Jones Eminger/Parent Extras: Vaananen, Kukkonen, Thoreson (?), Kane The Flyers have plenty of defensemen but they seem to be one quality forward short. Patrick Thoreson is listed as an extra skater because he has yet to sign with the Flyers, although he is a restricted free agent. Signing him, if they have the money, would push Cote to a lesser role, meaning he could suit up only when an enforcer is necessary. Barring a trade, the Flyers appear to be done making moves this off-season. There is still a possibility that Derian Hatcher could retire, which would free up 3.5 million dollars to sign another player, but that doesn't seem likely at this point. What you see above is probably what your 08/09 Philadelphia Flyers will look like. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:38:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285110 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285110 The Flyers seem determined to bring as many defensemen to Philadelphia as possible. So far this off-season, the Flyers have acquired blueliners Danny Syvret, Steve Eminger, Tim Ramholt and Patrik Hersley while they drafted another defenseman in Luca Sbisa. Apparently that isn't enough d-men because the Flyers signed another one today. Ossi Vaananen, who played last season in Sweden and formerly played with the Colorado Avalanche, signed a one year deal with the Flyers worth one million dollars. Vaananen is 6'4'' and 215 pounds, so he brings size and strength to the back end. He played six years in the NHL before going to Sweden last year and has a career plus/minus of +18. Vaananen is probably going to play in the NHL next year, so that likely fills out the Flyers defense. With Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent, Derian Hatcher and Lasse Kukkonen all coming back, Randy Jones likely to be re-signed and Steve Eminger and Vaananen added to the mix, the Flyers defense is filled out nicely. Of course, there is still a possibility that Hatcher might retire which would mean the Flyers could go out and sign someone else. Barring a retirement by Hatcher, the Flyers have to be done with assembling defensemen now. Paul Holmgren has a little bit more money under the cap that could be used on a forward. Hockeybuzz.com has reported that the Flyers might be talking to Brendan Shanahan. Seems farfetched, but it's an interesting rumor nonetheless. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:43:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284746 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284746 Flyers pulled off a win last night, and now may be getting back their 2 top defenders, timonen and coburn, they still need to play three really tough games to get to the cup, but i'm becoming optimistic, nothing is over until we decide it is, who's with me? Fri, 16 May 2008 13:05:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267674 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267674 All of the sudden, things are looking a whole lot better for the Flyers. Fresh off their Game Four win last night the Flyers announced that they might have their top two defensemen back in the line-up on Sunday for Game Five. Braydon Coburn, who missed the last two games after he took a puck to the face, was already likely to return once the swelling around his left eye subsided. As long as he continues to progress you can bet he will be back Sunday. The surprising news is that Kimmo Timonen might also be available to play in Game Five. Click the link for more on this situation. Fri, 16 May 2008 08:57:37 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267573 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267573 After taking a three game break, the Flyers decided to show up for a home game Thursday, when they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 to force a game five. The first three contests were really no contest, as the Flyers let the Penguins do pretty much whatever they wished. But in game four the Flyers had a change of heart; in that they decided to play with heart. Thu, 15 May 2008 23:16:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267510 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267510 The Flyers may be playing their last game of the season tonight. In an effort to shake things up and get a spark, Coach John Stevens has rearranged the Flyers forward lines to look like this: Richards - Briere - Hartnell Umberger - Prospal - Lupul Upshall - Carter - Knuble Thoresen - Dowd - Kapanen Braydon Coburn also will not play tonight. Click the link for more on these latest moves. Thu, 15 May 2008 14:03:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267339 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267339 Philly.com and 610 WIP are both reporting that Braydon Coburn is not going to play in tonight's game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to Flyers Coach John Stevens, "We really hoped he could play," Stevens said. "He practiced yesterday, but we made the decision that he is just not ready." Coburn has been out of action since he was injured in the opening minutes of game 2 when he took a puck to the face. The wound required more than 50 stitches and his left eye was swollen shut. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:50:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267264 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267264 Braydon Coburn returned to practice today for the Flyers in hopes of taking the ice for Game 4 tomorrow night. Coburn missed Game 3 because his eye was swollen shut following the puck to the face he took in Game 2. Coburn will wear a visor to protect his eye, which, as you can see above, looks better but still has a ways to go to fully open back up. While it would be a great story and a true test of toughness if Coburn returns for Game 4, there is really no point in rushing him back to the ice. With the Flyers on the brink of elimination, if his vision is impaired in any way and there is any chance he could hurt himself worse, he should sit out. Even if he plays well and the Flyers win the game, they have a huge uphill battle ahead of them if they are going to win the series. It is likely there is a greater chance of Braydon Coburn getting injured worse than the Flyers have of winning four straight against the Penguins. Wed, 14 May 2008 13:43:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266884 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266884 After suffering a facial injury as a result of being struck by a puck, Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn is currently listed as doubtful for tomorrow night's pivotal game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Accoring to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, "We're still waiting to hear word on how his eye actually is. Right now, it's swollen shut, there are no fractures and he's doing better," said Holmgren. "We have no reason to think that there's anything wrong with the eye itself. "I would say for the game tomorrow, he's probably doubtful." With Timonen out indefinitely and Coburn's return in question, the Flyers are without their top defensive pairing. Mon, 12 May 2008 16:48:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266179 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266179 The Flyers playoff hopes continue to dim today. After losing to the Penguins yesterday to fall into a 2-0 hole in the series, the Flyers learned today that they will play Game 3 without defenseman Braydon Coburn. Coburn took a puck to the face in the first period of Game 2 and had to leave the game. He got 50 stitches on his face around his left eye and lost a lot of blood, making him feel lightheaded. The Flyers have already ruled him out for Game 3, although there is a chance he could return for Game 4 on Thursday. Ryan Parent will suit up in Coburn's place. Click the link for more, including "highlights" of Coburn's injury. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:21:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266114 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266114 The Flyers lost Game Two by the same score as they lost Game One, 4-2, but Sunday's contest was a completely different story in terms of effort. In Game One, the Flyers looked flat-footed and played most of the game back on their heels, while in Game Two they showed more of the effort and intensity that we have grown accustomed to seeing in this playoff run. The Flyers simply took too many penalties that allowed the Penguins to get their offense going and couldn't generate enough offense of their own. The night started off terrible for the Flyers when Braydon Coburn took a puck to the nose and collapsed to the ice. There were several questionable calls made by the refs throughout the game that went against both teams. Click the link for much more on the game, including highlights. Sun, 11 May 2008 22:06:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265864 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265864 With the Flyers already down their best defenseman in Kimmo Timonen, they got what they could ill afford early on; an injury to another defenseman. Braydon Coburn, Timonen's defensive partner, went down early in the period when he was hit in the face with a puck that deflected off the stick of Evgeni Malkin. Then the Flyers went on to lose the game, albeit in a better effort than their game 1 performance. Sun, 11 May 2008 21:44:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265858 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265858 With Kimmo Timonen likely out for the remainder of the playoffs, the Flyers have to face the reality of playing an offensive juggernaut like the Penguins without their best defensive player. In Timonen's absence, the Flyers have completely re-shuffled their defensive pairs. Derian Hatcher, who has played well recently, will move up to the top pairing with Braydon Coburn, causing every pairing to be altered. Jason Smith will now be paired with Randy Jones and Jaroslav Modry is back in the lineup in the third pairing with Lasse Kukkonen. On the powerplay, Randy Jones expects to get most of the time in Timonen's spot on the top grouping. Completely changing all of your defensive pairings at this time of the year is usually not a good thing, but in this case it was necessary. There is no getting around the huge void that Timonen leaves on this team. He was the one player that was irreplaceable in an already thin defensive unit. If any one forward goes down, the Flyers have several options that can step right in, but there is no one with the all-around skill level of Timonen that can step into the back six. Click the link for more..... Fri, 09 May 2008 15:25:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265286 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265286 The Flyers hopes to get past the Penguins and into the Stanley Cup Finals took a huge blow today when their best defenseman, Kimmo Timonen, was diagnosed with a blood clot in his ankle, effectively ending his season. Timonen's ankle felt sore ever since he was hit by a shot during the series with the Canadiens, so he went in for an exam today and the blood clot was discovered. This is a big setback for the Flyers. Timonen and Braydon Coburn have done an excellent job neutralizing their oppositions best offensive players throughout the playoffs. It's the worst timing possible with the Flyers preparing to play a team with the offensive firepower that the Penguins feature. Expect more playing time for Randy Jones and Derian Hatcher and for Jaroslav Modry to get back on the ice after missing most of the last series. Click the link for more..... Thu, 08 May 2008 17:56:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264979 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264979 Flyers fans feared the worst after top defenseman Kimmo Timonen was forced to leave yesterday's game after being checked into the Capitals goal, but it appears that he could be ready to play again as soon as Thursday. Timonen left the game in the second period to get X-rayed, but, according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, the results were negative. Timonen is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury. While those injury details are vague, it appears that Timonen has avoided a major injury. Losing Timonen would be a huge blow for the Flyers, as he has been key in making Alexander Ovechkin look human. He is the only Flyers' d-man who has the speed to keep up with Ovechkin and also has the toughness to knock him around. Without Timonen, the Flyers would be forced to have Braydon Coburn and Derian Hatcher try to shut down Ovechkin, and while both players would be able to rough him up, neither has the speed to keep up with the Capitals' star. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:50:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/239057 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/239057