If you missed out on the rumors last summer that involved the Edmonton Oilers being hot after Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn, fear not for they are new again.
Mark Spector of Sportsnet spoke with Oilers GM Craig MacTavish about what the team needs to address this summer and finding defensive depth via free agency or trades was high on his list.
“We’d like to get a five-six defenseman who is a good penalty killer and good shut-down player,” MacTavish said. “So, we’re looking at both extremes of our defense. We’re trying to get bigger up front. We’ve got the toughest element to get (skill), but I think we can augment that with players who are bigger, stronger and more productive than what we’ve had.”
Spector followed that up suggesting the Oilers again target Coburn to help beef up the defense. David Staples of the Edmonton Journal has an idea what might work to get a deal done between the two sides.
The Flyers surely can’t afford to just give away defensemen and a younger blue liner in return would help. There’s no doubt there’s a need there for both teams, but finding help in each other is the hard part. The talk about Coburn from those in Edmonton certainly makes it seem like there’s a desire there.
