Leafs players, Kyle Dubas react to Lyubushkin acquisition
A hot topic at Leafs practice today is newly acquired defenceman, Ilya Lyubushkin - who is expected to make his Leafs' debut on Tuesday against Columbus. A couple of Leafs players and even Dubas himself weighed in on the Leafs' newest blueliner.
-Dubas on why the Leafs targeted Lyubushkin.
The Russian defender checks off several boxes for the Leafs. A big, physical defender who plays well in his own zone, throws big hits and moves bodies away from the front of the net. Many people speculated that the Leafs would go after one of the flashier names like Josh Manson or Ben Chiarot to address their needs on the back end. Unfortunately, the cost is rumored to be a first round pick along with additional picks/prospects for their services. The Leafs were able to pick up an undervalued player in Lyubushkin while also offloading an expensive contract. It's hard to view this as anything but a win for Dubas.
Meanwhile, Lyubushkin's former Coyotes teammate, Michael Bunting said this to say about the "Russia Bear."
Bunting echoes what most Leaf fans have come to learn about the team's newest acquisition over the past 16 hours or so. If your work ethic is praised by Michael Bunting, it means that they probably work their tail off. Bunting saw it first hand in Arizona and now gets to see it again in Toronto.
Auston Matthews is familiar with Lyubushkin as well, as he had skated with the right-shot defender when he first signed in Arizona. #34 gave a brief assessment of Lyubushkin during his media availability on Sunday.
It may not be the biggest acquisition of trade season but it was one the Leafs had to make and one that addresses several needs for the team. Leafs players are pumped to have him on the team and management was able to pay a reasonable price for his services. For Lyubushkin, he goes from sitting at the bottom of the league to being vaulted to near the top of the standings in Toronto, who currently sit 6th in the overall league standings. Hard to hate anything about that!
