Leafs trade Ritchie to Coyotes for Dzingel, Lyubushkin

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded winger Nick Ritchie and a conditional draft pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward Ryan Dzingel and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, both teams announced Saturday.

Arizona will have its choice of the Leafs' third-round pick in 2023 or their second-round selection in 2025.

Ritchie hasn't suited up for the Maple Leafs since Jan. 12 and was assigned to the team's AHL affiliate earlier this month. The 26-year-old was never able to take off in Toronto despite seeing playing time on its top line alongside Auston Matthews. The 2014 10th overall pick registered just two goals and seven assists in 33 contests this season.

He has one season left on a two-year pact that carries an annual cap hit of $2.5 million.

Lyubushkin was listed as a healthy scratch prior to the Coyotes' clash against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. The 27-year-old put up nine assists in 46 games for Arizona this season while averaging 18 minutes a contest. Lyubushkin has a cap hit of $1.35 million and can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 208 pounds, the right-shot defensive blue-liner has racked up 94 hits and 60 blocked shots in 2021-22. He's spent his entire 180-game career in Arizona.

Dzingel, 29, has four goals and three assists in 26 contests in a part-time role with the Coyotes this campaign. The versatile center can add depth to the Maple Leafs' forward corps. Dzingel can also become an unrestricted free agent after playing out the remainder of this season on a $1.1-million cap hit.

There was no salary retained on either side of the deal, but the Leafs will need to send a player to the AHL on Sunday to be cap compliant, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.

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