For the Toronto Maple Leafs, there wasn't much to celebrate following another first round exit this year, this time at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. One success story from the second half of the season, however, was the play of Ilya Lyubushkin, who was acquired a month ahead of the 2021-22 trade deadline.
Lyubushkin was originally brought in to help insulate the right side for the Leafs, but was never originally thought to be much more than a 2nd or 3rd pairing defenseman. However, by season's end, Lyubushkin found himself taking regular shifts alongside Morgan Rielly on the Leafs' top pair and most of the time he did not look out of place.
Now a pending UFA, Lyubushkin is likely looking for a raise from the very pedestrian $1.35M he earned last season and as much as the Leafs would like to have him back, that's going to depend entirely on what's out there for him in free agency and how much he and his family may want to stay in Toronto.
On Wednesday, when asked about the idea of potentially re-signing Lyubushkin this summer, here's what Leafs GM Kyle Dubas had to say:
Lyubushkin is never going to be the guy who is going to light you up on the scoreboard, but if you're skating with your head down, he is the guy who is going to light you up on the ice and put you on your backside. The Leafs don't exactly have a lot of those guys on the roster, so in that sense, Lyubushkin is certainly going to be missed if he goes. That said, if Dubas and Lyubushkin's camp can iron out a deal to keep him in the fold, I'm sure Leafs Nation will welcome him back with open arms.
