The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks in a three-team trade on Thursday night.
The Carolina Hurricanes are the other team involved in the trade.
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The Ducks initially sent the Russian to the Carolina Hurricanes by withholding 50% of his salary. He then traded him to the Queen City Club and kept 25% of Lyubushkin's salary.
The Ducks received a third-round pick in 2025 from the Maple Leafs, while the Hurricanes received a sixth-round pick in 2024 as part of the deal. Toronto also received the rights to forward Kirill Slepets, a fifth-round draft pick from Carolina in 2019, from the Hurricanes.
The Maple Leafs will therefore cover 25% of Lyubushkin's salary. As a reminder, the deficit had a total impact of $2.75 million on the Ducks' payroll. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
It is the second time in his career that the 29-year-old has played in Toronto. He had already played 31 games for the Maple Leafs in the 2021-2022 season.
This season, Lyubushkin has four assists in 55 games. Undrafted, the right-hander played 334 games in the National Hockey League for the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Ducks and Maple Leafs, scoring five goals and 38 assists for 43 points.