Now that Nikita Zadorov is off the market after being traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 30, 2023, the Toronto Maple Leafs need to turn their attention to other defencemen who can provide the team with the same physical elements. There are players like Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames who could be of interest to the Maple Leafs. However, it would be nice for the club to acquire someone with a little more edge alongside a defenceman like Tanev, and that is why a reunion with Ilya Lyubushkin should be considered.
Maple Leafs Have Familiarity With Lyubushkin
The Maple Leafs could have the chance to acquire Lyubushkin twice in his career. The first time was during the 2021–22 season when he was a part of the Arizona Coyotes organization. On Feb. 19, 2022, the Coyotes and Maple Leafs pulled off a trade that sent Lyubushkin and Ryan Dzingel to Toronto in exchange for Nick Ritchie and a choice of their third-round selection in 2023 or second-round selection in 2025. At the time, this deal seemed to be exactly what the Maple Leafs needed — they needed a gritty-style blue liner to help them, and that is what they got out. Fast forward to 2023, and the team is still looking for that and could be looking at re-acquiring Lyubushkin to help them. However, this time it would be from the Anaheim Ducks organization.
During this time with the Maple Leafs organization, he filled the role he was asked to. He played in 31 games with the club and had two goals, four assists for six points, 32 blocks, and 93 hits while averaging 16:28 time on the ice. One of his best abilities is breaking up the cycle as he uses his body and can stop it relatively fast, which adds strength to the Maple Leafs’ blue line. Lyubushkin was also pencilled in beside Morgan Rielly on the top pairing, similar to Luke Schenn last season.
The two worked well together as Lyubushkin is a true stay-at-home defenceman and Rielly is an offensive defenceman who looks to join the rush whenever he can. The chemistry between the two was there during Lyubushkin’s time with the club and it could be sparked again if he is brought back to the Maple Leafs this season.
Ducks’ Asking Price
Lyubushkin is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of the season who carries a cap hit of $2.75 million. That is a number that the Maple Leafs can handle, especially if John Klingberg is out for the season and his cap hit of $4.15 million remains on long-term injured reverse (LTIR). Nevertheless, the Ducks are in a spot where they could be open to retaining up to 50% of Lyubushkin’s salary, but if they did, the trade price would become higher.
If the Maple Leafs could get his salary down to $1.35 (50% retention), the going rate would most likely be a draft pick, a prospect, or two draft picks. However, given both teams’ cap situations (with Klingberg on LTIR), the clubs could potentially agree on a deal that doesn’t carry any retention, which would subsequently lower the asking price from Ducks’ general manager (GM) Pat Verbeek.
Related: Maple Leafs Need Chris Tanev, But He Won’t Be Cheap
Let’s look at two mock trades that reflect a deal with and without salary retention on Lyubushkin’s contract.
Mock Trade #1
Toronto Maple Leafs receive: Ilya Lyubushkin
Anaheim Ducks receive: 2026 Third Round Pick & Seventh Round Pick
Reason: This mock trade takes into consideration the Zadorov trade to the Canucks. He was dealt for two picks due to the Canucks not asking for retention on his salary. Those picks sent to the Flames were a third-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2024. Zadorov is widely considered to be a better player than Lyubushkin is; sending the third and the seventh to the Ducks instead of a higher second-draft pick should be enough for the Maple Leafs to acquire him.
Mock Trade #2
Toronto Maple Leafs receive: Ilya Lyubushkin (50% salary retention)
Anaheim Ducks receive: Max Lajoie, 2026 Third Round Pick & 2025 Fifth Round Pick
Reason: This mock trade includes salary retention at 50%, which brings his cap hit down to $1.35 million for the duration of the season. The trade doesn’t change a lot; it is very similar to the Zadorov trade. It involves picks from the same rounds because no NHL team is going to help another NHL team out without a decent amount of compensation. The other addition is Max Lajoie, who has been good when he has played in the NHL this season but has had limited playing time. However, for the Ducks — a young rebuilding team — he may see more games in the NHL. WIth the Ducks sending a seasoned veteran away in Lyubushkin, they may ask for another defenceman in return to help balance their backend for the rest of the 2023–24 season.
Related: Flames Likely to “Tax” Treliving, Maple Leafs In Any Tanev Trade
Overall, Lyubushkin wouldn’t be a very expensive addition to the Maple Leafs’ backend, and while he is not as big as Zadorov, whom Leafs Nation was clamouring for, he is still physical. If Maple Leafs’ GM Brad Treliving could find a way to acquire Lyubushkin as the secondary addition to the team’s blue line along with Tanev, the Maple Leafs would be harder to play against — especially in the playoffs — which is exactly what every member of Leafs Nation wants to happen. There is a potential that if the defence core is better heading into the playoffs, the offensive powerhouses will pick up their play and finally lead the Maple Leafs to the promised land — to hoist Lord Stanley’s mug for the first time since 1967. Therefore, Treliving’s first move for the team’s blue line should be a reunion with Lyubushkin.
