Leafs reunite with Lyubushkin for pair of draft picks

Ilya Lyubushkin is heading back to Toronto.

The Anaheim Ducks traded the rugged defenseman to the Maple Leafs for a 2025 third-round pick, the teams announced.

The Ducks will retain 50% of Lyubushkin's $2.75-million cap hit, while the Carolina Hurricanes will retain an additional 25%, bringing it down to $687,500. The Canes will receive a 2024 sixth-round pick from the Leafs for doing so. Toronto receives the rights to forward Kirill Slepets from Carolina.

Lyubushkin, a pending unrestricted free agent, played 31 regular-season contests with the Maple Leafs after a midseason trade from the Arizona Coyotes in 2021-22. He dressed in all seven of Toronto's playoff games that campaign, too - often pairing with Morgan Rielly at five-on-five.

While he provides little-to-no offense, Lyubushkin posted strong defensive metrics during that 2021-22 campaign.

However, his play has plummeted this season. He ranks second-last among NHL defensemen with minus-8.8 goals above replacement, and his minus-6.6 defensive goals above replacement is the fourth-worst at his position.

The 29-year-old has produced just four assists in 55 games with the Ducks this season while averaging 17:09 per contest. He's still providing plenty of grit, though, as he's racked up 138 blocks and 112 hits.

Timothy Liljegren is the only right-handed shot among Toronto's regular defensemen, but he's missed the last two games with an injury. Mark Giordano also suffered a head injury on Thursday against the Coyotes, and there's no timetable for his return. When fully healthy, the Leafs' blue line could look as follows:

The retention on Lyubushkin's contract gives the Leafs plenty of cap space to make further moves, but their trade assets are dwindling. Toronto still has its 2024 first-round pick but doesn't have a second-rounder for the next three years. The team is notably without a pick until Round 5 in 2025.