The Maple Leafs bring back Russian defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in a three-team trade.
Ilya Lyubushkin returns to the Maple Leafs after Toronto acquired the rugged defenseman and the rights to forward Kirill Slepets in a three-team trade late Thursday night involving the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes.
Leafs general manager Brad Treliving addressed a pressing need by bringing in Lyubushkin, bolstering the blue-line with a right-handed shot, which the team sorely lacked in Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Toronto had to play with six left-handed defensemen due to injuries to righties Mark Giordano, Timothy Liljegren, and Conor Timmins, along with John Klingberg on long-term injured reserve.
Lyubushkin previously played 31 games and a playoff round with the Leafs after being acquired by former GM Kyle Dubas from Arizona in a February 2022 trade. While not known for offensive contributions, the dependable 29-year-old developed good chemistry with Leafs’ top defenseman Morgan Rielly during his previous stint.
In the trade, Anaheim received Toronto’s third-round pick in the 2025 draft and retained 50 percent of Lyubushkin’s salary, while Carolina acquired a 2024 sixth-round selection and also retained half of Lyubushkin’s remaining salary, leaving the Leafs with an average annual salary cap hit of US$687,500.
Lyubushkin played 55 games for Anaheim this season, tallying four assists and 51 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman originally joined the Coyotes as a free agent in May 2018.
As part of the trade, Carolina acquired the rights to Kirill Slepets, a 24-year-old forward drafted by the Hurricanes in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Slepets, who has not yet played in North America, has recorded eight goals and 19 points this season with Khabarovsk Amur in the Kontinental Hockey League.
