How Did Ron Hextall Fare at His First Trade Deadline?

VOORHEES – Ron Hextall’s phone was getting extra work the past few days as he saw what the market was like in his first trade deadline as general manager of the Flyers.

It got worked in his office just before Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline came and he told other league GMs he wasn’t interested in a last-minute deal.

It got worked Sunday at midnight when Hextall hid in his closet at home so he didn’t wake his wife when he called Braydon Coburn to tell him he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2015 first-round pick, third-round pick and defenseman Radko Gudas.

That call went to voicemail.

Coburn didn’t know until his wife woke up at 6:30 a.m. to tend to their son and told him it was time to wake up.

“It was a little bit of a shock to wake up to that news,” said Coburn, who was the longest-tenured Flyer until the early-morning trade was approved. “It’s a weird day. It is what it is. I’ve enjoyed my time and I’ve been so blessed and really thankful to be a Flyer. I’m excited to move on and play with Tampa now.”

That was the biggest move Hextall made on the day of the deadline itself. The only other transaction he made was giving fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare a two-year extension reportedly worth $1.425 million.

Could Hextall have done more?

(Listen to Flyers insider Dave Isaac discuss the Flyers deadline deals on the Sports Bash)