Star blueliner facing uncertain future as Avalanche divisional rival eye cap space
Photo credit: Christian Murdock / The Denver Gazette
When Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill handed Ilya Lyubushkin a three-year contract last offseason, it raised eyebrows across the hockey community.
Lyubushkin had consistently posted some of the the weakest underlying stats in his career, yet the Stars were banking on him to play a key role in reshaping a defensive unit that the front office had deemed insufficient the previous year.
Avalanche divisional rival facing uncertain future with top defenseman.
Taylor Newby from Yahoo Sports writes that despite all the initial concerns and skepticism surrounding his performance, Lyubushkin turned out to be a highly reliable presence throughout the season. The glaring mistakes that once defined his game were largely eliminated, and in their place emerged a steady, dependable defensive defenseman who held his own as a top-four blueliner. While he was never expected to be a dynamic puck mover, his sound defensive play filled a void that others before him had failed to address.
"Then, the injury to Miro Heiskanen meant Lyubushkin was suddenly thrust to the top pairing with Thomas Harley for the final chunk of the season and first part of the playoffs. All in all, the Russian held his own. It was not perfect, but it was certainly good enough on the defensive side of things." -Newby
Once Heiskanen returned to full strength, Lyubushkin was briefly moved to the third pairing for a single game being unexpectedly removed from the lineup entirely, spending the remainder of the postseason watching from the press box.
"Now, Dallas is at a crossroads of what to do with Lyubushkin. A year ago, many thought the crossroads would be about how to get rid of him because of performance, but it seems more like he is simply the odd man out (or one of them with Matt Dumba as the other). Alexander Petrovic seems like a great option alongside Lian Bichsel, and a cheap one at $775,000 for next season. Petrovic proved himself to be a capable NHLer with his playoff performance." -Newby
Lyubushkin's contract, worth over $3 million annually, turned out to be less of an overpay than originally feared, but it still poses a challenge for the Stars as they try to round out their roster for next season. The most sensible path forward may involve moving that salary in some way.
Finding a trade partner willing to take on the deal isn't a certainty, but it may be the unfortunate outcome for a player who exceeded expectations during his time in Dallas.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 21 | 27 ANSWERS Star blueliner facing uncertain future as Avalanche divisional rival eye cap space Who do you think will finish higher in the Central Division next season? | ||
| Avalanche | 24 | 88.9 % |
| Stars | 3 | 11.1 % |
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