Leafs trade Nick Ritchie to Arizona, acquire Ryan Dzingel and Ilya Lyubushkin

The Nick Ritchie era in Toronto has ended as the Leafs have traded the struggling forward along with a conditional second round pick to Arizona in exchange for forward Ryan Dzingel and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin.

Ritchie, 26, signed a two-year deal with Toronto back in the summer but never seemed to settle, putting up nine points in 33 games played before eventually being placed on waivers. Ritchie cleared waivers and was assigned to Toronto’s taxi squad before eventually joining the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

A seventh-round selection of the Ottawa Senators at the 2011 draft, Dzingel, 29, has scored four goals and three assists in 26 games with the Coyotes in 2021-22. Dzingel, now in his seventh NHL season, had his best campaign back in 2018-19 when he racked up 56 points in 78 games in a year split between the Sens and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The other piece in the trade is 27-year-old Ilya Lyubushkin, who has appeared in 46 games for the Coyotes this season, chipping in nine assists. In 180 career NHL games, the Moscow native has totaled one goal and 18 helpers. Lyubushkin originally joined the Coyotes as a free agent pick-up back in May of 2018.

While Ritchie still has a year remaining on his contract, both Dzingel and Lyubushkin are set to hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2021-22 season.