Maple Leafs acquiring D Ilya Lyubushkin in three-team deal with Ducks, Hurricanes
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.
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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.
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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.
