Lyubushkin has four assists for the Ducks in 55 games this season. He has 43 points (five goals, 38 assists) in 334 NHL games for the Arizona Coyotes, Maple Leafs, Sabres and Ducks, and one assist in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games.
After going undrafted, he played four seasons for the Coyotes before being traded to the Maple Leafs on February 19, 2022.
Toronto is currently without a defender Marc Giordanowho will be out “for a while” after suffering a concussion in a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, according to Treliving.
The Maple Leafs are allowing an average of 3.15 goals per game, which ranks 13th in the NHL.
“We have some familiarity with where Lyubushkin was when he was last here as a teammate,” Treliving said. “… One of the things we need to improve is play-stopping, play-eliminating. He has the ability to eliminate plays. He’s pretty heavy (6-foot-2, 200 pounds). It adds depth, it gives us a body in a position where we need one and allows us to look for other opportunities over the next week (before the NHL trade deadline on March 8 at 3 p.m. ET).”
Slepets, a 24-year-old selected by the Hurricanes in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 46 games this season for Amur Khabarovsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. He has not signed a contract.
