And out again. Russian defenseman Lyubushkin changed the NHL team for the third time in five years
Aug 19, 2023 11:30 UTC Audio Version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
This time, the deal was suggested long before its legal registration.
Important Russian news came from the NHL frozen in the summer break. Buffalo traded Ilya Lyubushkin to Anaheim. For quarterback, the Sabers received a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft.
The contract of the Russian with a salary cap of $2.75 million is valid until the end of the next season, and in the final season, Lyubushkin played 68 games in the regular season. He has 14 (2 + 12) points with a utility rating of “-2” and a 38-minute penalty. In addition, the defender used 99 power shots and ranked second on the team in number of blocked shots (104).
Lyubushkin’s most memorable blow:
Video
Brad Marchand was unable to continue the match after Lyubushkin’s blow
Anaheim will become the fourth team in Lyubushkin’s NHL career. He made his league debut five years ago wearing an Arizona jersey. Three and a half seasons later, Ilya moved to Toronto, and a year later he left for Buffalo.
Lyubushkin’s first transition took place in a trade format: two assets were left for the Coyotes at once: Canadian forward Nick Ritchie and a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. Ritchie stayed briefly in Arizona and, before Last deadline, he became a defendant in a historic settlement: Nick was sent to Calgary in exchange for his brother Brett; this happened for the first time in the NHL. Also, Connor McKee and Troy Stecher were involved in the deal.
As for Lyubushkin, this time his former team could only negotiate a very symbolic compensation. In this sense, “Anaheim” can only be congratulated: at the cost of little effort, he got a solid defense in a good hockey age.
The ducks realize their success:
“It will be more difficult to play against us.” In “Anaheim” he appreciated the exchange of Lyubushkin
Of course, moving to Anaheim doesn’t get the 29-year-old any closer to the cup, nor does it make it any more likely that he’ll make the playoffs. On the contrary, the young Blades are gradually gaining strength, becoming a very interesting team with a recognizable face and real prospects. And Lyubushkin simply did not fit into the dynamically changing composition of the Sabers.
Already in the second half of last season, Ilya’s position in the club was shaken. The Russian “fell” in the third pair, and the head coach Don Granato perceived him more as a reserve: often the specialist switched to playing with four defenders. Lyubushkin’s average ice time for the season was exactly 15 minutes, but often he only spent about ten minutes on the ice.
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The Sabres’ recent transfer decisions have hinted in even less ambiguous ways that the club has lost interest in Lyubushkin. In addition to the available defenders, the Blades have signed experienced Eric Johnson and Connor Clifton. Both have longer experience in the NHL and received more serious money, so there is no doubt that they will take places in the second or third pair. For Lyubushkin, in this situation, there was simply no place.
In Anaheim, along with Ilya, there are now seven defenders, including two very young. The duties of the main defenders will obviously fall to Cam Fowler and Radko Gudas, but the conditional status of the third player in line should be assigned to Lyubushkin.
