The Ottawa Senators placed Braydon Coburn on waivers Wednesday, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The veteran defenseman carries a cap hit of $1.7M this season and was part of the cap-clearing package acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning this offseason.
Coburn, 35, is only a few months away from winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning, though he certainly wasn’t a huge part of their postseason run. He suited up just three times during the playoffs and ended up traded along with Cedric Paquette and a draft pick as part of Tampa’s attempt to get cap-compliant. In eight games this season with the Senators (which include seven losses), he has one point and has averaged just over 17 minutes a night.
In a corresponding move, it appears as though Erik Brannstrom may get his next NHL opportunity. The Senators recalled the young defenseman to the taxi squad while sending Jonathan Aspirot back to the minor leagues. Should Coburn clear Thursday, he could be swapped with Brannstrom and end up on the taxi squad as a depth piece.
That’s likely where he should be as the Senators try to develop their young core, but it certainly isn’t what he was hoping for. Coburn was a very well-liked teammate in Tampa Bay, even wearing an “A” as an alternate captain at times. Where his career goes from here isn’t clear, though he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
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