Coburn has modified no-trade clause
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – With the Flyers' players, coaches and staff enjoying one last day of fun and sun across the state in Naples, Fla., before resuming a regular practice schedule on Saturday, it's a slow news day here in the Fort Lauderdale area. We're not complaining.
But, we did want to provide you with a little nugget of information.
A league source has passed along the structure Braydon Coburn's freshly minted, four-year contract extension to the Daily News.
Coburn, 26, will be the league's 35th highest paid defenseman when his new $18 million contract kicks in next season. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 prior to completing a new deal on Wednesday.
Coburn will soon enjoy a modified no-trade clause, since will be at the minimum age of 27 by the time the deal starts. A modified no-trade clause usually works by submitting a list of 10 or 12 eligible teams where a player would accept a trade.
It is structured as follows:
2012-13: $4,000,000
2013-14: $4,500,000, with additional $1.0M signing bonus
2014-15: $4,000,000, with additional $500K signing bonus
2015-16: $4,000,000
His total compensation is $18 million. Since the NHL's formula for computing salary cap hits is simply dividing total compensation by term of contract, his salary cap hit will be $4.5 million per season.
Coburn, the longest tenured Flyer since his arrival in Feb. 2007, is one of five Flyers to be signed for the 2015-16 season, including Max Talbot (expires 2015-16), James van Riemsdyk (2017-18), Chris Pronger (2016-17), and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov (2019-20).
To read more about Coburn's thoughts on the new deal and what he brings to the pairing with long-time defensive partner Kimmo Timonen, click here.
PRONGER HEALING: Despite missing six games because of a gruesome eye injury, Chris Pronger returned to the ice on Wednesday in Tampa Bay and played more minutes (25:22) than any other Flyer – giving him some well-earned pool time in Naples, Fla., yesterday.
Oh, yeah, he had a team-high ice time even though he spent 4 minutes in the penalty box.
"I just laid out by the pool," Pronger said, describing the extent of his activities on Thursday. "You need to take time to relax and recuperate."
Coach Peter Laviolette said he was pleased with Pronger's play on Wednesday.
"I thought he played a strong game," Laviolette said. "It was certainly nice to have him back. His presence, both in the room and on the ice, was nice. I thought his game was good. Defensively, I thought we played a pretty tight game."
REMEMBERING PELLE: Finally, as we remember all veterans, members of the armed forces, and all of those who fight to keep our country free, let's also remember the passing of former Flyers goaltender Pelle Lindbergh.
Lindbergh passed away at the age of 26 exactly 26 years ago today, on Nov. 11, 1985 after a horrific, drunk driving accident in Somerdale, N.J.
I caught up with Pelle's fiancée, Kerstin Pietzsch-Somnell, last November and was fortunate for the chance to tell her story in this article.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers