The Toronto Maple Leafs sought a right-shot defenseman and got one they were familiar with last night.
The Leafs acquired Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Toronto also sent a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the three-way trade. Anaheim retained 50 percent and Carolina retained 25 percent of Lyubushkin's $2.75 million cap hit.
The Hurricanes also sent the unsigned rights to forward Kirill Slepets. The Hurricanes drafted the player in the fifth round (152nd overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft.
The Leafs were able to get a player they have familiarity with and one they know can play successfully in certain situations with top defenseman Morgan Rielly with this deal. And his $687,500 salary cap hit is less than the NHL's minimum of $775,000.
PuckPedia.com says the Leafs have approximately $1.447 million in cap space with 24 players after the Lyubushkin deal. And they will need to get down to 23 players on the active roster. Veteran defenseman Mark Giordano sustained a head injury in the club's 4-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday and he would likely be moved to IR — at minimum — to open up the space for Lyubushkin.
Can the Maple Leafs use the additional $1.5 million in cap space to get more players?
Yes. But it's complicated. Calle Jarnkrok is set to come off long-term injured reserve, possibly as soon as next week. The Leafs will need to ensure the space to fit his $2.1 million cap hit. The player has been out since late January with a broken knuckle. In theory, they could free up some of that money by moving Conor Timmins (mononucleosis) to LTI, but that still leaves another $1 million.
It's possible other injuries could occur between now and the March 8 trade deadline that could help the situation. But it certainly isn't ideal.
Current scenario that could play out
If Timmins ($1.1 million) and Giordano ($800,000) are placed on LTIR on March 8, that would create $1.9 in additional space. Deduct Jarnkrok's $2.1 million cap hit upon activation and the Leafs are looking at approximately $1.247 million where they could add another player without any other deductions from their active roster and no other long-term injuries. With the way the Leafs acquired Lybushkin, in theory, they could potentially squeeze in two more players. But given their draft capital, it's likely that they only have room for one more. And if they do anything, they may likely wait until March 8 when the 23-man roster limitation disappears and they could maximize their moves.
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