Lyubushkin's second stint with the Maple Leafs was short and sweet as he has now found greener pastures on the open market after signing with the Dallas Stars on a 2-year deal worth $3.25 million, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Joel Edmundson was, of course, the other Leafs defenseman to depart on Monday, finding a new home as he signed a deal with the Los Angeles Kings.
Originally acquired by the Maple Leafs in 2021-22 from the Arizona Coyotes for Nick Ritchie and a conditional draft pick, Lyubushkin played in 31 regular season games that year and totalled 2 goals and 6 points before tallying an assist in 7 post-season contests.
He walked as an unrestricted free agent and signed in Buffalo but found his way back to the Maple Leafs 2 years later. As part of a three-team trade at the end of February, Lyubushkin was sent back to Toronto from the Anaheim Ducks for a third round pick in 2025, while the Carolina Hurricanes also received a sixth round pick in 2024 for brokering the deal and retaining some of the salary.
Lyubushkin recorded 4 assists in 19 contests and averaged 17:03 TOI while playing his bruising style of hockey with 64 hits and 30 blocked shots. He added 3 assists in 7 playoff games and dropped the hammer with 29 hits and 7 blocked shots. He will now join a Stars backend that just added Brendan Smith and Matt Dumba.
