After a 26-day lull in what was supposed to be an active trade deadline, the ice broke two days ago when Chris Tanev was traded to the Dallas Stars in a three-team deal. Yesterday, another three-team trade went down, as the Anaheim Ducks sent defensive defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who acquired him at 75% retention thanks to the Carolina Hurricanes taking on 25% of his contract, in exchange for a couple of picks.
Lebrun reported that the Maple Leafs also acquired prospect Kirill Slepets from the Hurricanes in the deal. It’s a hefty price to pay for a third-pairing defenceman who has had his fair share of struggles this season. Let’s get more into how they fared:
Maple Leafs Acquire Struggling Defender
The Maple Leafs have long been searching for a defence-first, right-handed defenceman, and those certainly don’t grow on trees. They’ve been depleted on defence from injuries, resulting in Mitch Marner having to take reps on defence at times in Thursday’s 4-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Having previously played for the team, specifically next to Morgan Rielly in the postseason (from ‘Why Ilya Lyubushkin was the right fit for the Maple Leafs,’ The Athletic, Feb. 29, 2024), Lyubushkin seems like a natural fit, right?
I don’t think so at all. There’s no going around it — Lyubushkin is and has been one of the worst defencemen in the NHL for a few seasons now, and has only garnered interest from general managers (GMs) around the league for his size and grit. Listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, he’s unafraid to throw his body around, but it usually comes at the expense of poor positioning that leaves his partner out to dry. On the season, he’s “boasting” an expected goals share (xGF%) of just 42.3% and has the worst even-strength expected goals above replacement (xGAR) in the entire league, including both forwards and defencemen. Among defencemen, he’s sporting the fourth-worst offensive xGAR, second-worst defensive xGAR, and 25th-worst penalty differential impact in the NHL.
As a defensive defenceman, it’s no surprise that he’s never one to find the scoresheet. In 334 career games, he’s scored just five goals and 43 total points. On the campaign, he’s posted just four assists in 55 games, and his career-high of 14 points last season is the sole season in which he’s surpassed the double-digit mark.
Related: Maple Leafs Acquire Ilya Lyubushkin From Ducks
With Tanev going for a second-round pick and a conditional third-rounder, and considering that Lyubushkin doesn’t even hold a candle to Tanev’s viability as a blueliner, a third-round selection feels like a ton here in what appears to be a desperation move by GM Brad Treliving. I’m truthfully completely unsure of what his vision was in acquiring Lyubushkin, and I hate this move for them unequivocally. The only positive for them is that it’s only costing them $680,000 against the cap.
Maple Leafs’ Grade: D
Ducks Start the Sell-Off
For the Ducks, this move was a no-brainer. They’ve been anticipated to be sellers since before the season even began, and this is probably the first step in acquiring a haul of futures by the end of the trade deadline. The fact that they were able to swindle the Maple Leafs into a third-round pick just one day after a far superior defensive defenceman was sold for a second-rounder and conditional third-rounder is astonishing, especially considering that he was a rental who was likely not returning after this season anyway.
It might only be one pick, and the pick might be for the 2025 NHL Draft, but I love it for them nonetheless. Retaining $1.4 million likely was the reason why the pick was a third-round selection rather than something later, but that’s an inconsequential retainer for a player who is coming off the books in 20 or so games. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek did an excellent job selling the Maple Leafs on Lyubushkin, and I can only imagine the number of other assets they’ll be able to hoard with the likes of Adam Henrique, Frank Vatrano, Sam Carrick, and even Trevor Zegras appearing in many a trade rumour.
Ducks’ Grade: A
Hurricanes Buy a 6th Round Pick
I can’t grade the Hurricanes here, simply because it wasn’t all that consequential. They ended up having to retain $680,000 in the deal for just this season and shipped off a lowly prospect in exchange for a sixth-round pick that could be a lottery ticket someday down the line. With the way the Hurricanes draft historically, I wouldn’t be surprised. Shipping off an undersized prospect who likely isn’t going to turn into anything doesn’t mean all that much, either.
Hopefully, this trade is an omen for the floodgates opening ahead of the trade deadline. It’ll be an exciting next six days.
