Ex-Leafs D Ilya Lyubushkin Reveals Why He Left Toronto, Even With Mutual Interest In A Return
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton - USA Today Sports
Ilya Lyubushkin revealed in a recent interview that although there was a mutual interest between him and the Leafs for a return he chose to leave for one reason.
For the second trade deadline in three seasons, the Leafs acquired Lyubushkin to provide a physical presence on the blueline, this time from the Anaheim Ducks. In exchange, the Ducks received the Leafs third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and Carolina, who retained part of Lyubushkin's salary received Toronto's sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Recently, Lyubuskin sat down with Russian hockey outlet ICE and discussed his return to Toronto, leaving Toronto, signing with Dallas and a whole host of other things.
In discussing leaving the Leafs, the translated interview revealed that Lyubushkin left the Leafs because he felt like they gave him a low-ball offer.
"We couldn't agree on the terms. The club was interested, as always in such cases. After the season ends, there's an exit meeting with the general manager. They made it clear: 'We want to keep you, and we'll negotiate with your agent.' But once negotiations started, I didn't feel any strong desire from their side. They said they wanted to keep me, but the terms weren't acceptable. Both in terms of duration and money, it was very difficult. That was their choice."
Lyubushkin ended up signing a three-year deal with the Dallas Stars that will see him earn $3.25m per season which seems quite expensive for someone who was going to play on the Leafs' third pairing so it is understandable as to why they let him walk. Instead, the Leafs used less than half of that annual salary and signed Jani Hakanpaa to a one-year deal after a very lengthy process.
While "Boosh" gave the Leafs what they needed in the playoffs, the Leafs were able to find more significant upgrades in free agency that can provide his physicality and more for a full season, which is something they have not had in a number of years.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 3 | 1934 ANSWERS Ex-Leafs D Ilya Lyubushkin Reveals Why He Left Toronto, Even With Mutual Interest In A Return Should the Leafs have kept Lyubushkin over signing Hakanpaa? | ||
| Definitely | 644 | 33.3 % |
| Nah | 765 | 39.6 % |
| Not sure yet | 525 | 27.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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