The Ducks have acquired a third-round draft pick from the Leafs for defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin.

It was only a matter of time. The first domino fell on Thursday night for Pat Verbeek in what's expected to be a busy trade deadline once again.

Shortly before the Ducks' game in San Jose against the Sharks, TSN's Pierre LeBrun tweeted that defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin was being held out of the lineup due to ongoing trade discussions. Those discussions would come to fruition before the first period between the Ducks and Sharks had even ended, with the Ducks sending Lyubushkin to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Anaheim retained fifty percent of Lyubushkin's salary in the deal with Toronto, with the Carolina Hurricanes playing third-party broker and retaining fifty percent of Lyubushkin's remaining salary.

The Ducks received a 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Lyubushkin while the Hurricanes received a 2024 sixth-round pick for helping broker the deal. The Leafs also received the reserve rights to Kirill Slepets from Carolina.

What does this mean for the Ducks?

It's a tidy bit of business by Verbeek, who acquired Lyubushkin last summer from the Buffalo Sabres for a 2025 fourth-round pick. The veteran defenseman filled his role well as a shot-blocking penalty killer with some edge to his game. He also acted as a mentor for fellow Russian defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, whom he was paired with for most of his time in Anaheim.

The departure of Lyubushkin leaves the Ducks with just two right-handed blueliners on the active roster now in Radko Gudas and Gustav Lindström. Cam Fowler has been playing his off-side for the majority of the season and whether he will continue to do so depends on any additions that Anaheim makes.

UPDATE: Fowler left tonight's game after being hit in the face with a slap shot and will not return, per the Ducks. His status for tomorrow's game is up in the air.

This trade also opens up an opportunity for a defenseman to be recalled from AHL San Diego. Olen Zellweger, who impressed in his short NHL stint last month and has frequently been playing his off-side in the minors, could be an option.

Drew Helleson, who got three games with the Ducks at the end of last season, could have been an option as well if not for an upper-body injury that he suffered recently. The right-handed Helleson has not yet gotten any NHL action this season.

With the Ducks back in action in Anaheim tomorrow, Robert Hägg could be an option to be recalled if the team just needs an extra body. The Gulls also play tomorrow night in Ontario––just about 40 minutes away.