Maple Leafs acquiring D Ilya Lyubushkin in three-team deal with Ducks, Hurricanes
Posted February 29, 2024 10:56 pm.
Last Updated February 29, 2024 11:30 pm.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing back a familiar face to shore up their defence depth ahead of next week’s NHL trade deadline.
The Maple Leafs have acquired right-handed shooting defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks in a three-team trade involving the Carolina Hurricanes.
As part of the trade, the Ducks will retain 50 per cent of Lyubushkin’s salary and receive a third-round draft pick. The Hurricanes will retain 25 per cent of Lyubushkin’s salary and receive a sixth-round pick.
The Maple Leafs will receive the reserve rights to forward Kirill Slepets from the Hurricanes to complete the trade.
Lyubushkin is in the final year of his contract which carries a $2.75 million cap hit.
Lyubushkin played 31 games with the Maple Leafs in 2021-22 after a trade-deadline window deal with the Arizona Coyotes. The 29-year-old signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres in the summer of 2022 after leaving the Maple Leafs and was traded to Anaheim ahead of this season.
Lyubushkin is a stay-at-home defenceman, with just five goals and 43 points in 334 career games.
The Maple Leafs have been looking for another right-handed shot defenceman ahead of the deadline for additional depth. Timothy Liljegren, the team’s only other regular right-shot on the blue line, is out with an injury, and veteran Mark Giordano suffered a head injury in Thursday’s win over the Coyotes.
Auston Matthews scored his NHL-leading 53rd goal of the season in the 4-2 win over the Coyotes, who extended their losing streak to 14 games.
Matthew Knies, with a goal and an assist, and Tyler Bertuzzi also scored for Toronto while Joseph Woll made 30 saves in his return from a long injury absence.
William Nylander added an empty netter to go along with two assists.
Arizona came into the game 10-0-2 over their 12 previous visits to Scotiabank Arena/Air Canada Centre, with the Coyotes last regulation loss in Toronto coming back on Oct. 17, 2002 – the day Knies was born in Phoenix.
