Ilya Lyubushkin is heading back to Toronto.

The Anaheim Ducks are trading the rugged defenseman to the Maple Leafs for a 2025 third-round pick, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes will retain a combined 75% of Lyubushkin's $2.75-million cap hit, bringing it down to $687,500. The Canes will receive a 2024 sixth-round pick from Toronto for doing so, Friedman added.

Lyubushkin, a pending unrestricted free agent, played 31 regular-season contests with the Maple Leafs after a midseason trade from the Arizona Coyotes in 2021-22. He dressed in all seven of Toronto's playoff games that campaign, too - often pairing with Morgan Rielly at five-on-five.

While he provides little-to-no offense, Lyubushkin posted strong defensive metrics during that 2021-22 campaign.

However, his play has plummeted this season. He ranks second-last among NHL defensemen with minus-8.8 goals above replacement, and his minus-6.6 defensive goals above replacement is the fourth-worst at his position.

The 29-year-old has produced just four assists in 55 games with the Ducks this season while averaging 17:09 per contest. He's still providing plenty of grit, though, as he's racked up 138 blocks and 112 hits.

Timothy Liljegren is the only right-handed shot among Toronto's regular defensemen, but he's missed the last two games with an injury. Mark Giordano also suffered a head injury on Thursday against the Coyotes, and there's no timetable for his return. When fully healthy, the Leafs' blue line could look as follows:

The retention on Lyubushkin's contract gives the Leafs plenty of cap space to make further moves, but their trade assets are dwindling. Toronto still has its 2024 first-round pick but doesn't have a second-rounder for the next three years.

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Dan and Sat are by the Executive Director of the PWHLPA, Brian Burke, to discuss the inaugural season of the PWHL, how the league is progressing, and the latest on the Canucks - including Elias Pettersson.

This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Sat debate whether topics such as Elias Pettersson's potential contract, moving to North Carolina, and much more is overrated or underrated.

This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Sat welcome Bik Nizzar in for The Open as they get into the latest on Elias Pettersson and his potential contract extension. Also, in the Roundup they discuss Canucks lineup notes, including the amount of starts Demko is getting and Carson Soucy nearing a potential return.

This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

The rumor mill keeps on churning for the Calgary Flames.

The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning are among teams showing interest in pending unrestricted free-agent defenseman Noah Hanifin, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Hanifin is currently No. 1 on theScore's list of players who could be shipped out by the March 8 deadline.

The puck-moving rearguard has racked up 34 points and a career-high 11 goals in 59 games this season while averaging almost 24 minutes of ice time per contest. He carries a cap hit of $4.95 million and has some control over his situation thanks to his eight-team no-trade list.

A left-handed shot, Hanifin would address an area of need for both the Bruins and Lightning. Boston is currently without Hampus Lindholm, who's week-to-week with an undisclosed issue, while Mikhail Sergachev is out indefinitely for Tampa Bay with a leg injury.

However, the two Atlantic Division squads are each missing their first-round pick in this summer's draft. The Lightning, in particular, don't own a first-rounder until 2026.

The Flames have been the league's busiest team leading up to the deadline. They shipped out Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in separate trades earlier this season, and they just sent Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.

Hanifin has been traded once before in his career. The Carolina Hurricanes packaged him and Elias Lindholm to the Flames in June 2018 in exchange for Dougie Hamilton, Adam Fox, and Micheal Ferland.

The 27-year-old has totaled 60 goals and 273 points in 657 career NHL games.

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With Chris Tanev off the market as a defense target for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the club is now setting its sights on other right-handed blue-liners.

The Leafs have shown interest in Arizona Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba and checked in with the Anaheim Ducks about a reunion with Ilya Lyubushkin, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Dumba has produced nine points in 54 games with the Coyotes this season. Selected two picks after Morgan Rielly at the 2012 NHL Draft, Dumba was a 50-point defenseman during his heyday with the Minnesota Wild, capable of running a top power play and delivering a crushing hit.

But injuries have taken their toll, and the 29-year-old's play has tailed off in recent years. His underlying numbers over the past three seasons haven't been pretty.

Dumba is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $3.9-million cap hit. The Coyotes' asking price for his services is reportedly a first-round pick.

The Ducks, meanwhile, have yet to fully commit to moving on from Lyubushkin, LeBrun adds, but the club sits 30th in the NHL standings, and the 29-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent. His cap hit is $2.75 million.

Lyubushkin played 31 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs after a midseason trade from the Coyotes in 2021-22. He suited up in all seven of Toronto's postseason contests that year, too - often playing with Rielly at five-on-five.

He signed with the Buffalo Sabres the following offseason and was dealt to the Ducks last summer.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman has produced just four assists in 55 games for the Ducks this season. But the "Russian Bear" brings plenty of grit, having recorded 138 blocks and 112 hits.

Lyubushkin's defensive numbers were strong during his time in Toronto, but his overall metrics have been abysmal this year. He ranks second-last among NHL defensemen with minus-8.8 goals above replacement this season. His minus-6.6 defensive rating is the fourth-worst at his position.

Timothy Liljegren, when healthy, is the only right-handed shot among Toronto's regular defensemen. T.J. Brodie and Jake McCabe both play their off side.

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Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury and is questionable to return for the playoffs, sources told TSN's Darren Dreger.

Stone suffered the ailment during the Knights' 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Feb. 20. Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported that the veteran forward is dealing with a lacerated spleen.

The 31-year-old missed the last half of the 2022-23 campaign with a back injury, but he was ready for Game 1 of the postseason. He recorded 11 goals and 24 points in 22 games to help the Golden Knights lift the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.

With Stone and his $9.5-million cap hit on long-term injured reserve, Vegas was able to add forwards Ivan Barbashev and Teddy Blueger, as well as goaltender Jonathan Quick, at last year's trade deadline. Barbashev proved to be the most impactful acquisition of the three, slotting right into the Knights' top line. He tallied 18 points and 64 hits in the playoffs.

The Golden Knights are now in a similar situation this season and are reportedly targeting a top-six forward like the New Jersey Devils' Tyler Toffoli, the St. Louis Blues' Pavel Buchnevich, and potentially Jordan Eberle of the Seattle Kraken if he's made available, per Dreger.

Stone racked up 16 goals and 53 points in 56 games before suffering the injury. Vegas entered Thursday's action in second place in the Pacific Division with a 33-19-7 record.

The Knights went 23-9-7 without Stone in the lineup last season.

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Matt and Jeff discuss Frank Seravalli's report that Elias Pettersson is now ready to talk extension with the Canucks, and that the sides are considering an eight-year deal. They discuss what brought this about, whether the noise in the market was a contributing factor, fans and media getting anxious, head coach Rick Tocchet musing that it might be a distraction and effected his play, even the surging popularity of J.T. Miller? The guys also discuss the Chris Tanev trade and whether the Canucks missed out, while turning attention to other defencemen on the market. What kind of defenceman they need with Carson Soucy on the comeback trail. The penalties, they are a problem. Tocchet's comments on punishing players who take too many, as well as opposing players snapping their heads and drawing penalties. Canucks once had that rep, is it gone now?

Seravalli joins to flesh out his Pettersson report, Frank also talks about the Tanev deal, whether the Canucks were in it until the end, and whether the Flames did well on the return. Frank tells us about the Canucks interest in Minnesota Wild winger Brandon Duhaime, and floats a potential destination for ex-Canuck Tyler Toffoli, who might be on the move by next Friday's trade deadline.

Rob Williams stops by and says finally (finally!) we have an indication that Pettersson wants to stay in Vancouver. Rob discuss what fans were saying this week as trade rumours began, while touching on the Tanev deal and the struggles of Elias Lindholm since his acquisition. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe were both fined $25,000 on Thursday for unprofessional conduct directed at officials, the NHL announced.

Keefe was ejected late in the third period of a 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.

The bench boss had shown frustration with referees Garrett Rank and Peter MacDougall for calling a questionable tripping penalty on Mitch Marner two minutes prior, and the referees had warned him to stop, reports The Athletic's Jonas Siegel and Chris Johnston.

Keefe has been fined twice in the last two seasons. The NHL docked him $25,000 in December 2022 for "demeaning conduct directed at the officials" during an overtime win over the St. Louis Blues.

Granato forced officials to call a bench minor on the Sabres in the third period of their 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. He was upset about a tripping call on Buffalo rookie Zach Benson.

The NHL has been trying to minimize coaching outbursts this season. The league gave its bench bosses a presentation on the subject in September.

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We have a massive 12-game slate on the docket Thursday night. I see the most value in getting involved in a couple of games with playoff implications for both parties. Let's take a closer look.

Wild (+100) @ Predators (-120)

The Predators are riding a six-game winning streak, but it's the Wild who have been more impressive of late.

Minnesota has accumulated one more point over the past 10 games and posted a stronger underlying profile.

The Wild have posted the league's sixth-highest expected goals share at five-on-five during that span. They've also been lethal on the power play.

Only the Maple Leafs (13) have scored more power-play markers than the Wild (12) over the last 10 games. Conversely, just seven teams have conceded more power-play goals than the Predators in the same span. That figures to be a big advantage for the Wild.

Minnesota's top line of Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Kirill Kaprizov has been amazing at even strength while ripping teams apart on the man advantage.

It'll be a tough task for Juuse Saros to slam the door. He has performed better lately, but his recent success came against the Senators, Sharks, Blues, and Kings. Not exactly top-tier offenses.

I'm skeptical he can stay hot against the league's second-highest-scoring offense over the last 10.

Bet: Wild (+100)

Penguins (-105) @ Kraken (-115)

The Kraken are quietly playing strong hockey on home ice. They own a 6-2-2 record over the last 10 in Seattle and possess strong defensive metrics.

Seattle has conceded just 2.21 expected goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five in that span. The Kraken have fared even better in preventing goals, allowing 1.95 per 60 minutes at five-on-five. Terrific numbers.

The Penguins have largely struggled to score goals against strong defensive sides. Over the past 10 games, they scored two goals against the Wild, one against the Jets, two against the Panthers, and one against the Kings.

Aside from a shootout against the Flyers where Cal Petersen posted a .781 save percentage, the Penguins' best regulation performance against a strong team was a three-goal effort versus the Canucks.

Jake Guentzel being sidelined was problematic enough. With Bryan Rust also out with an injury, the Penguins have lost a ton of scoring on the wings. These absences will be tough to overcome as they were already top-heavy to begin with.

Seattle plays extremely low-event hockey at home. Kraken home games feature the lowest average shot volume (56.0) out of any team in the league.

I expect the Kraken will be able to tighten the screws on the Penguins, who lack the dynamic ability needed to break through structured defenses.

If Joey Daccord can continue to hold up his end of the bargain in goal, this is a spot where the Kraken should take care of business.

Bet: Kraken (-115)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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