The newly christened Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner made a quick layover in the American Hockey League during the fall of 2019.
We're a week away from the NHL trade deadline, with the dominos beginning to fall this week with a pair of blueliners on the move.
Anaheim's Ilya Lyubushkin will make his second tour of duty with the Toronto Maple Leafs, being dealt to the buds in a three-way deal last night that also included the Carolina Hurricanes as a broker.
Lyubushkin, 29, is a shutdown, hard-nosed Russian defender with six years of KHL experience and another seven seasons in the National Hockey League.
The undrafted defender first suited up for the Arizona Coyotes in 2018-19, a franchise he called home until the 2021-22 season when he was dealt to the Leafs for the first time.
He's bounced between the East and Western conferences in the past two seasons, playing 68 games with the Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23 while suiting up for 55 games for the Ducks before Thursday night's trade.
The gritty defender, not known for his offensive prowess, has put up five goals and 38 points in 334 NHL games, but did you know he spent about the time it'd take to order a cup of coffee in the American Hockey League?
Lyubushkin, in his second season in North America, played two games in the AHL for Arizona's affiliate in Tucson.
He made his AHL debut on the road against the Texas Stars on October 4th, with Antti Raanta putting up 19 saves as the Roadrunners blanked the home club 2-0.
He'd suit up once more two days later during the road trip against the now-defunct San Antonio Rampage, dropping a 5-2 decision. He'd finish his brief two-game AHL stint with two penalty minutes and no points.