Ilya Lyubushkin misses Maple Leafs practice with illness, is ‘doubtful’ for Tuesday’s game against the Flyers.
Ilya Lyubushkin will not accompany the team when they travel to Philadelphia on Monday afternoon.
The defenseman skipped Maple Leafs practice on Monday, but not due to an injury or maintenance, like he did on Friday.
“Lyubushkin is unwell. Nothing about an injury or anything like that,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after practice on Monday. “He is unwell. But he will not be travelling with us today.
Toronto is preparing for back-to-back away games this week, against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. The 29-year-old defender’s status for Tuesday’s game against the Flyers is uncertain, as he did not travel with the team on Monday afternoon.
“I’d say it’s unlikely [he plays] at this point,” Keefe said.
Lyubushkin, despite playing well since being acquired by Toronto, has struggled with injuries. In his first game back with the Maple Leafs, he was forced to leave after being hit by New York Rangers forward Matthew Rempe.
The defenseman took a maintenance day on Friday because he “had some things tighten up on him” from taking a few blows against the Flyers the night before. However, Lyubushkin may miss his first game since being sent back to the Maple Leafs.
“He plays hard. I enjoy how he plays. “Hopefully he’s fine,” Morgan Rielly said of Lyubushkin on Monday. “But I believe that with all of our men on the backend, we can mix and match and play together. So I believe we’re in a terrific place.”
With the defensemen absent from practice, Toronto switched up their pairings. TJ Brodie was back in the top pairing with Rielly, while Simon Benoit returned to the defense alongside Jake McCabe.
The Maple Leafs acquired Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks on February 29 in a three-team deal. Anaheim and the Carolina Hurricanes both kept 50% of the defenseman’s salary, which is now $687,500 in Toronto.
He’s played seven games with the Maple Leafs this season, getting two points and averaging 16:07 of ice time. Lyubushkin will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
