Lyubushkin is exceeding expectations, but what's the plan for him beyond this season?

Leafs GM Kyle Dubas may have acquired an adequate replacement in Ilya Lyubushkin, but many fans either didn't know who he was, or dismissed him as a 6th or 7th defenseman. The truth is, Dubas took $2.5 million dollars in dead cap space in Nick Ritchie, packaged it with a conditional pick (Arizona's choice between a 2023 3rd and a 2025 2nd) and turned it into an extremely useful piece in Lyubushkin.

The Russian blueliner was thought to be a sound defensive defenseman with not much in the way of puck-moving skills or skating ability to speak of. We now know that he is much more than advertised.

Lyubushkin has been a breath of fresh air, stapling people to the boards and clearing the front of the net like a bulldozer. The Russian Bear has made an immediate impact on the back end for the Leafs and he could end up being a very important acquisition for them come playoff time when the games get tougher and the officials put the whistles away.

It says something about how badly the Leafs have needed a player like this when we start gushing over a guy with 1 point in 7 games. In those 7 games, Leafs fans have gone from asking who this guy is to asking how much it's going to cost to retain his services for next year and beyond. It may be early, but this trade is looking like an absolute win for the Leafs.