The Buffalo Sabres traded defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin of Moscow, Russia to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday according to Rogers Sportsnet. In return, the Sabres received the fourth round draft pick in the 2025 National Hockey League Entry Draft. The Ducks become the fourth NHL team that Lyubushkin has played for. He was previously with the Arizona Coyotes (2018 to 2022), the Toronto Maple Leafs (2022), and the Buffalo Sabres (2022 to 2023).
Lyubushkin’s 2022-23 NHL Statistics
In 68 NHL regular season games, Lyubushkin had two goals and 12 assists for 14 points. He was a -2 with 38 penalty minutes, two shorthanded points, one game-winning goal, 41 shots on goal, 104 blocked shots, 99 hits, 27 takeaways, and 20 giveaways.
Lyubushkin’s Shorthanded Game-Winning Goal
Lyubushkin’s most memorable goal of 2022-23 came in a 6-5 Sabres win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 23 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena. Lyubushkin scored the game-winning goal at 1:41 of overtime to give the Sabres a win. Lyubushkin’s goal was unassisted, as Henri Jokiharju was in the penalty box for Buffalo as he was given a two-minute minor penalty for delay of game. For Lyubushkin, it was the first and only game-winning goal of his NHL career.
Lyubushkin’s other Shorthanded Point
Lyubushkin’s other shorthanded point was a shorthanded assist on January 14 in a 5-3 Sabres win over the Nashville Predators. The assist came on a game-winning goal by captain Kyle Okposo of St. Paul, Minnesota, which put the Sabres up 4-3 at 6:43 of the third period. Mattias Samuelsson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania picked up the other assist.
NHL Regular Season Career Statistics
Lyubushkin has five goals and 34 assists for 39 points in 279 games. He is a -22 with 130 penalty minutes, three shorthanded points, one game-winning goal, 199 shots on goal, 382 blocked shots, 690 hits, 69 takeaways and 112 giveaways.
Lyubushkin traded day after death of Sabres legend
On Thursday, Sabres broadcasting legend Rick Jeanneret of St. Catharines, Ontario died at the age of 81 of organ failure. He was the broadcasting voice of the Sabres for an amazing 51 years from 1971 to 2022.
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