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Buffalo Sabres: Breaking down Ilya Lyubushkin’s strengths, weaknesses

By Sion Fawkes

Feb 28, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (46) skates with the puck as Washington Capitals left wing Conor Sheary (73) chases in the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (46) skates with the puck as Washington Capitals left wing Conor Sheary (73) chases in the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buffalo Sabres
COLUMBUS, OH – FEBRUARY 22: Ilya Lyubushkin #26 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates the puck away from Oliver Bjorkstrand #28 of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the game at Nationwide Arena on February 22, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Weaknesses

Lyubushkin is not a scorer, so he isn’t going to give you more than a handful of points each season. That said, he pairs best with a two-way LHD. It is also going to be tough as to where to place him in the Buffalo Sabres defensive pairings, as he has yet to log 20 minutes of average ice time in a single season.

This implies he is best-suited for the third pairing, although Kevyn Adams was hoping to add an experienced, physical RHD to pair with Owen Power. Lyubushkin can definitely be that guy, but Henri Jokiharju, despite not being as physical, has an inside track to end up pairing with Power for the entire season.

Jokiharju showed in the eight games that Power played in that he can form the second piece of a younger dynamic duo. He also has, from an NHL standpoint, every bit as much experience as Lyubushkin. Therefore, Lyubushkin is not going to be a shoo-in on the second pairing, and he may never be anything more than a staple on the third paring who will average between 15 and 18 minutes per game.

light. More. A way too early prediction for Owen Power

This isn’t a total weakness. But it does show that he may ultimately not be the experienced RHD to pair with Power. Instead, the Buffalo Sabres may have already had them on the roster with the 23-year-old Jokiharju as opposed to the 28-year-old Lyubushkin.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Hockey DB)

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