Islanders trade for defense depth ahead of deadline

Not long after the New York Islanders left the ice following a 3-2 OT win over the New York Rangers, Lou Lamoriello pulled in the one thing he was missing from the trade deadline. Depth on the blueline.

Sending a seventh-round pick in 2022 to the Ottawa Senators, Lou picked up Braydon Coburn from the Ottawa Senators.

Now, Lou has everything he seemingly needs to compete for a cup.

New York Islanders trade for Braydon Coburn from Ottawa

For those who may not know Coburn, he’s a 36-year-old left-handed defenseman. He’s a 16-year NHL pro who was drafted eighth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2000.

His best offensive season was 2007-08 as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. Coburn is very much a “stay at home” type.

He won a cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, playing just over 14 minutes a night. In the playoffs, he skated in three games and averaged 14:52 of ice time.

He’s not being acquired to replace anyone on the roster. Even though Noah Dobson is only averaging 16:33 a night, Coburn isn’t going to step in to take his minutes.

He’s being brought in as insurance in case an injury might occur and to provide a bit more experience to the back end.

After getting Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the Devils, Lou got his top-six winger and depth forward. The only other position that was in need of reinforcements was on the blueline. So getting a depth D before or at the trade deadline was always in the cards. Who he’d settle on was the real question.

The price is incredibly low. A seventh-round pick two years from now means nothing to this franchise. Getting defensive depth is something that could very well matter as the Isles chase a Stanley Cup. This is a good trade even if it’s a low value acquisition.