Buffalo Sabres score an ultra high grade by signing Ilya Lyubushkin

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams knew he needed to go big with an RHD in free agency. He scored highly with Ilya Lyubushkin. 

While goaltender was arguably the top priority for the Buffalo Sabres this offseason, finding a reputable RHD to pair with Owen Power was also high on the list. Ilya Lyubushkin fits that criteria, and he is a good one. Let’s discuss.

Formerly undrafted in 2012, Lyubushkin first entered the NHL during the 2018-19 season as a member of the Arizona Coyotes. He will immediately remind you of a smaller version of Mattias Samuelsson with his 591 career hits in 211 games. Lyubushkin also isn’t afraid to sacrifice the body, given his 278 career blocks.

The Buffalo Sabres signed a perfect complement to Owen Power in Ilya Lyubushkin

Lyubushkin, 28, is yet another new Sabre to sign a two-year deal for an AAV of $2.75 million, per Die By the Blade’s Melissa Burgess. This implies that Lyubushkin is a potential bridge. But if he performs as well as he did last season, in which he split time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Arizona Coyotes, he may stick around for quite some time.

One big plus regarding Lyubushkin is that he is still young and rather fresh, having just four seasons of NHL experience. Last season, he played in 77 games, dwarfing his previous career-high of 52. In those 77 contests with Arizona and Toronto, Lyubushkin totaled 92 blocks, 187 hits, and 15 points. He also recorded just 15 takeaways.

While Lyubushkin’s offensive statistics are not eye-popping, this further justifies how well he complements with Owen Power, who possesses more of a two-way game. Power also snagged six takeaways in his first eight NHL starts, so that further makes the two complements of one another.

Now that the Top Four is most likely a done deal with Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson taking the first pairing with Lyubushkin and Power manning the second, the move most likely places Henri Jokiharju on the third pairing. But, don’t be surprised if Joki ultimately winds up with the second pairing given the chemistry he created with Power.

This further leaves Casey Fitzgerald and Jacob Bryson as the favorites to battle for the second spot on the third pairing. If Lawrence Pilut joins the party, the log jam will only grow further. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)