The Maple Leafs get Lyubushkin from the Ducks, who received a third-round pick and retained 50 percent of his $2.75M AAV cap-hit. The Hurricanes received a sixth-round pick to retain 25 percent of the contract. Lyubushkin is in his sixth NHL season and heads to Toronto with four assists, 112 hits and 138 blocked shots in 55 games this season.
The move looks to be a precautionary one as the Ducks are reportedly close to moving Lyubushkin in a trade. Lyubushkin has 138 blocked shots, 112 hits, and four assists in 55 games this season.
Lyubuskin has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury but will draw back into the lineup on Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks. In his last three outings, Lyubushkin has a -4 plus/minus, one shot, and two hits.
The Ducks announced Lyubushkin's absence less than 15 minutes before puck drop, adding that he is day-to-day with the injury. Robert Hagg will draw into the lineup in his place.
Robert Hagg will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Lyubushkin to return to the lineup after a one-game absence due to an upper-body injury. Lyubushkin has four penalty minutes and -4 plus/minus in his last two contests.
Lyubushkin had two goals, 12 assists, 41 SOG, 38 PIMs, and a -2 plus/minus through 68 games with Buffalo in 2022-23 and has been traded to Anaheim for a 2025 fourth-round pick that originally belonged to Minnesota. The 29-year-old defenseman joins his fourth NHL team in the last three seasons and has five goals, 39 points and 130 PIMs through 279 career NHL games.
Lyubushkin has missed the Sabres previous nine games due to a lower-body injury but will return Monday and replace Jeremy Davies. The stay-at-home defensemen had one assist, 18 PIMs, and eight SOG through 17 games prior to the injury.
The Sabres' will be without Lybushkin for an indefinite amount of time after it was announced he was hurt after blocking a shot in Buffalo's overtime loss to Tampa Bay their last time out. The 28-year-old had been playing his usual stay-at-home hockey that we have come to expect, posting an assist, 18 PIMs and eight SOG through his first 17 games prior to the injury averaging only 15:24 ATOI in a bottom-pairing role.
Lybushkin missed the Sabres' previous outing Saturday vs. Chicago and will miss Buffalo's game tonight vs. the Red Wings. In six games since joining the Sabres in the offseason, Lyubushkin has one assist and is a +2 rating while playing a modest 15:01 TOI per night.
Lyubushkin has played well for the Maple Leafs since being acquired from the Coyotes but he will be the one to sit with Jake Muzzin returning from a concussion.
Lyubushkin was pulled from Tuesday's game for precautionary reasons after being punched by Taylor Hall. Carl Dahlstrom is expected to replace him in the lineup on Thursday but the Maple Leafs don't expect Lyubushkin to be out long-term. Monitor his status heading into Saturday's game in Philadelphia.
Lyubushkin is a big (6'2", 201 lbs) rugged defenseman, who is in his fourth year in the NHL. Lyubushkin has just one goal and 18 assists (19 points) in 180 career NHL games but has 498 hits and 246 blocked shots. Lyubushkin was a key penalty killer for the Coyotes and should serve a similar role as a third-pairing defenseman for the Maple Leafs.
The Coyotes now have a total of six players currently in COVID-19 protocol with Lyubushkin and Christian Fischer being added on Sunday. Unless he tests out, Lyubushkin will be out until at least the middle of next week.
