Brad Treliving's First Deadline as Toronto Maple Leafs GM Was a Flop
By Gordon Munro
Brad Treliving's First Deadline as Toronto Maple Leafs GM Was a Flop
Ilya Lyubushkin
The Maple Leafs reacquired the right-shot defender in a three-way deal with the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes.
They sent a 2025 third round pick to Anaheim and a 2024 sixth round pick to Carolina to get his contract 75% retained. This means his caphit with the Leafs is now $687,500.
The Leafs also acquired the rights to former Hurricanes’ draft pick Kirill Slepets. (All Contract Information ViaCapFriendly.com).
Slepets is essentially a non-factor, he is currently a depth piece with Amur Khabarovsk and at 24-years-old his NHL projection is almost nothing.
Lyubushkin on the other hand, has already slotted on the top-pair beside Morgan Rielly for multiple games. So far, the early returns are positive with the pairing sporting an above-50% xG rating in every game so far together.
However, it is still a small sample size and if we learned anything from last time it is that this pairing could become exposed come round one. My original analysis of the trade has not changed and despite the early returns, I do not see this move working longterm.