Let's start with the nickname. Ilya Lyubushkin has been known as "The Russian Bear" during his stops in Arizona and Toronto. Picture some growling, some snarl, and a search for fresh meat in the defensive zone. You get the picture.
"It came from Arizona my first season. I don't remember who but one of the radio guys," a smiling Lyubushkin said after Tuesday's preseason home opener against Philadelphia. "It's good. It's fun. I like it."
The Sabres were looking for a right-shot defenseman over the summer and were hoping to raise their physicality quotient. They targeted Lyubushkin, and at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he was intrigued, too.
Sabres center Brandon Biro scored twice, and goalies Craig Anderson and Malcolm Subban combined to make 20 saves in a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
How could he not be? Lyubushkin lost to Buffalo five times last season. Yes, five. Twice in Arizona and the three punkings the Maple Leafs absorbed from the Sabres in the season's final six weeks, including the Heritage Classic outdoors in Hamilton.
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The sides quickly agreed on a two-year, $5.5 million deal and Lyubushkin immediately became the club's elder statesman on defense at the ripe age of 28.
"I was so excited about my first game for Sabres in this blue jersey. It was so nice, so much fun," Lyubushkin said. "Always when I played the Sabres last year, it was tough for myself. Hard forecheck, not much space for defensemen. I didn't have time (with the puck)."
While playing in Vegas, Sabres winger Alex Tuch had regular meetings with Lyubushkin when the Russian was with the Coyotes.
"You always had to have your head up out there when you were playing against him," Tuch said this week. "I think he's a really great, steady stay-at-home defenseman. Plays physical, strong like an ox. You can't really move him out there either and he's really smart. So he's a great addition. He brings that veteran presence and that poise and he's going to be really good for a lot of the younger guys."
Lyubushkin's unveiling in game action produced a steady night during the 2-1 victory over the Flyers. He played 16 minutes, 33 seconds (including 1:54 on the power play) and registered three blocks and two hits. It was a game that wasn't much on oomph until the third period but was long on fun glimpses of several Sabres.
Lyubushkin spent the night paired with Lawrence Pilut and quickly sprinted across the ice to get a hit on Philly winger Linus Sandin on his first shift of the game. On one play in the second period, Lyubushkin got in trouble behind the net after turning the puck over to Flyers rookie Adam Brooks. But he quickly wheeled and used body position to cause a turnover right back and the Sabres exited the zone without giving up a scoring chance.
"I'm just trying to do my job," he said. "My game is simple and that's how I like to play. Show effort for my team."
While the Cro-Magnon faction of the Sabres' fan base still wants to see the gloves dropped at the slightest bit of indiscretion, the fact remains that this isn't 1979 anymore. You know the cliche of this era: You want to be a hard team or a hard player to play against. Lyubushkin certainly did that in Toronto as he led the Leafs in hits with 93 in the 31 games he played after being acquired in a February trade from the Coyotes.
Buffalo Sabres Ilya Lyubushkin skates with the puck against Philadelphia Flyers Elliot Desnoyers during a preseason NHL game at the KeyBank Center on Sept. 27, 2022.
Lyubushkin certainly won't hesitate to drop the mitts -- he nearly threw down in the final five minutes with Flyers veteran James van Riemsdyk – but that's not necessary for him to be a problem for opponents. He can skate well enough to get into the play on the offensive end and possesses the guile to be in the right spot in his own zone.
He also kept his eyes up ice, earning an assist on the Sabres' first goal with a pass to Lukas Rousek, who then provided a nifty feed to Brandon Biro.
Even though he's new to this team, Lyubushkin has played nearly 500 games combined in the NHL and KHL. Coach Don Granato said he's probably only going to play in two or three of the exhibition games to be ready.
"As far as him acclimating to being with us, practices are really important. Communication is really important," Granato said. "And then you've got the game reps. ... To fit in how we want to play collectively, I think that's still going to be a process for him. But what I love about him first of all is he's phenomenal in our locker room. He's got the grit we love but he wants to find ways to tweak and improve and enhance his game. So he fits right in with what we want as well."
"We have really good young guys, so much skill with our defensemen," Lyubushkin said. "It's really going to make it easy for me."
