MLHS · Feb 22, 2022
Leafs Notebook: With Ilya Lyubushkin in the fold, is more defense help or a forward addition the next priority?
Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY SportsAs has become customary, Kyle Dubas started his trade deadline early.
Jack Campbell was acquired on February 5, 2020; Jake Muzzin was acquired on January 28 the year prior. Dubas has always been forthcoming about his preference not to wait for the deadline to make moves, and he’s lived by it again this season.
The Ilya Lyubushkin-for-Nick Ritchie trade was as much about clearing the books for next season as anything else – demonstrated further by the Leafs immediately placing Ryan Dzingel on waivers and losing him to San Jose. But it also sets the table for a trade-deadline scenario I’ve been discussing in this space for over a month now.