Two years ago, Ilya Lyubushkin signed a three-year, $9.75MM contract with Dallas, the richest deal of his career. The first season went reasonably well but his playing time was cut last season to the point of being a frequent scratch. Ultimately traded to the Predators as part of the Mavrik Bourque swap, the veteran defenseman acknowledged to Sport-Express’ Fyodor Nosov that he was unhappy with his role with the Stars although he stopped short of asking to be dealt this summer. He also told his agent that Nashville was a place he’d like to be dealt to if possible. Lyubushkin will now have a chance to fight for a higher spot on the depth chart while also showcasing himself as he’s now in the final year of his contract. The 32-year-old had nine points, 90 blocks, and 68 hits in 53 appearances with Dallas last season.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
After spending 25 years with Nashville, Jeff Kealty raised some eyebrows when he left for a lateral role with the Sharks, being hired as an assistant GM last month. He recently spoke with The Tennessean’s Alex Daugherty to explain the move. He was passed up for the GM job that went to Chris MacFarland. While Kealty ultimately agreed the former Colorado GM was the best pick for the job, he felt the decision to not be complacent and remain comfortable made sense for him, though he had a chance to stay with the Predators if he wanted to.
Blue Jackets winger Valeri Nichushkin noted in an interview with RB Sport’s Olesya Usova that he would ideally like to finish his playing career back in the KHL, potentially back with Traktor (where he played back in 2012-13). That move is still at least four years away as that’s how long the 31-year-old has on his current contract. Columbus acquired Nichushkin back in June and he expressed enthusiasm for the chance to play a bigger role with his new team. Nichushkin’s ice time dipped to 17:44 per night with Colorado last season, his lowest ATOI since the 2020-21 campaign.