Maple Leafs acquire Ilya Lyubushkin from Anaheim
Rumors swirled Thursday night following Toronto’s victory over Arizona, and now it’s official: The Toronto Maple Leafs have reacquired defenseman Lyubushkin, bringing him full circle back to the team. Originally acquired at the trade deadline in 2022 in exchange for Freddie Gauthier, Lyubushkin left the Leafs as a free agent after that season. He then…
The #leafs are acquiring Ilya Lyubushkin at a cap hit of $687,500 with double retention — less than the league minimum salary. That leaves plenty of room for further moves before the March 8 trade deadline.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 1, 2024
Rumors swirled Thursday night following Toronto’s victory over Arizona, and now it’s official:
Trade call pending, per sources:
To #Leafs: Ilya Lyubushkin (75% retained)
To #NHLDucks: 3rd Rd Pick
To #Canes: 6th Rd Pick@DailyFaceoff— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 1, 2024
The Toronto Maple Leafs have reacquired defenseman Lyubushkin, bringing him full circle back to the team. Originally acquired at the trade deadline in 2022 in exchange for Freddie Gauthier, Lyubushkin left the Leafs as a free agent after that season. He then had stints with the Buffalo Sabres and the Anaheim Ducks before returning to Toronto.
Here's a replay of what happened to Mark Giordano. High speed into the boards. pic.twitter.com/7Ym0iacekn
— Pension Plan Puppets (@PPPLeafs) March 1, 2024
What adds an intriguing twist to the story is that Lyubushkin’s first of two goals as a Maple Leaf was scored against none other than now-Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov.
