The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to dip into the trade market late Thursday night by trading for Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in a three-team deal . The Ducks got a third-round pick and retained 50% of his contract, while the Carolina Hurricanes got a sixth-round pick to retain extra salary, with 75% of his contract being retained overall.
The trade came as talks began before their game against the Arizona Coyotes, but it increased once there was word of an injury to Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano, per Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast (15:00 mark). This would be Lyubushkin’s second go-around with the Maple Leafs after they bought him ahead of the 2022 deadline. The move gives the Maple Leafs that affordable, strong and tough right shot defenseman that they were looking for all season long.
Hours after the deal, many continue to question it. Considering that it was a price that general manager Brad Treliving wanted, it’s a move that does have some possibility for this to work out just like it did previously.
Lyubushkin Is What the Team Needs
Lyubushkin is a very strong, aggressive and hard-nosed stay at home defender. Many saw that first hand in his first stint and a reason why fans loved the deal back then. Overall, he is a cheaper version of Chris Tanev as he can do his job just as successfully but with lower offensive abilities.
The Maple Leafs wanted that physical guard on the right side and they got him. More importantly, it gives everyone involved a sense of familiarity as everyone on the team knows Lyubushkin from two seasons ago. While there are different faces, most of the key players still stay.
Lyubushkin only has four assists this season, but his skills lie in breaking up plays, denying entries, laying hits and blocking shots. Something that the Maple Leafs definitely could use more. He ranked fourth on the Ducks in hits with 112 and is first in blocked shots with 138. He averaged 17:09 of ice time per game in more of a depth role, but also averaged almost three minutes on the penalty kill. Treliving said that he can kill plays and that’s something that stuck out when they did their study. He has shown that he can play higher up in the lineup which is a good thing.
Ideally, he would be a strong third team defender. With the number of injuries piling up with Giordano out for “some time”, Timothy Liljegren day-to-day and Connor Timmins dealing with an illness, the right side is very exposed. They’re getting benefits from Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe and Simon Benoit, but having plenty of left shot defensemen isn’t ideal. Bringing in a capable defender in Lyubushkin gives them plenty of choices, but one that could serve as an everyday option on the right side.
Lyubushkin Being Paired With Familiar Face?
A day after the deal when the Maple Leafs were having practice, it’s very possible that Lyubushkin could be used as more than in a third pairing role. The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel claimed that while Max Lajoie was Rielly’s defense partner, it’s possible that Lyubushkin can be paired up with him.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen this pairing together as they did have good results when they were together in 2021-22. Lyubushkin isn’t a first-pairing defenseman and having that as a realistic goal isn’t how everyone should look at it. However, there is reason to suggest that the couple could once again find chemistry a second time around. As a reminder, here is how Rielly and Lyubushkin faired together in both the regular season and playoffs.
In the 31 games during the regular season, Rielly and Lyubushkin recorded fantastic results in regards to shot attempts and quality scoring chances. The one thing that stands out is the 60 per cent high danger chances when they were on the ice. They were powerful which is what you want to see. In the post season, it carried over as well as they were above average in expected goals and continued to be a factor in the high danger area.
Rielly was paired up with another stay-at-home defenseman in Luke Schenn when he was signed last season. They were paired up in the 2023 playoffs and they too had decent success having an 81.82 goals for percentage in the postseason. Having Rielly with a right-handed shot guard as a partner again should bode well for the team and defense. It’s a perfect balance as Rielly would be joining the offense and Lyubushkin could be the anchor and defensive force much like Schenn was.
One other thing to consider now is the balance of time on ice.
Rielly has been a work horse this season, averaging 24:05 per game. Seeing how McCabe and Benoit have played together and T.J. Brodie looking comfortable on his left side with Liljegren, you can depend on other pairings and distribute the workload evenly. If Lyubushkin is on the top pair with Rielly, both can benefit with a slight drop in minutes and can be saved for more important roles and matchups. Having three balanced pairings with chemistry will definitely play a big role during this stretch. In the event that they could bring in another defender, it’ll just add to the strength.
Final Thoughts
All in all, this is a good value addition for the Maple Leafs as they require a player that they’re familiar with. Lyubushkin definitely brings that physicality and skill to block shots every shift. It was the one element that was missing on the team’s back end as they’ve been inconsistent all season in that area.
All it cost was two draft picks in order to keep salary on Lyubushkin’s contract which is now below the league minimum. There were no prospects given up and it gives Treliving more freedom to work with and make more moves to improve the roster. If he can replicate what he did in his first stint with the team, then Lyubushkin is going to be a useful piece for a playoff run.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and NHL.
