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Decision On Lupul Looms For Leafs

September 13, 2016, 9:11 PM ET [469 Comments]
Mike Augello
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
With just over a week before players assemble at the MasterCard Center in Etobicoke, ON for the opening of training camp, the Toronto Maple Leafs do not know whether the reserved window seat for winger Joffrey Lupul will be filled or empty when the club departs to Nova Scotia.

The future of the veteran forward in Toronto began being questioned when Lupul did not appear in the team photo at the end of last season and all references to the Leafs were eliminated from his Twitter account.

Courtesy of Graig Abel

Toronto GM Lou Lamoriello would not discuss Lupul’s status at the season-ending press conference in April or when asked about his future at the rookie development camp in July, other than to say he was a still a member of the club and that his health status (after undergoing season-ending stomach muscle surgery)was unknown.

Another clue to the mysterious situation emerged on Monday, as the Sun’s Lance Hornby reported Lupul’s absence from the club’s annual charity golf event in Milton, ON.

Lupul turns 33 in late September, is coming off another injury plagued year (11 goals and 3 assists in 46 games) and remains the highest cap hit on the Toronto roster at $5.25 Million for another two seasons.

Toronto did not exercise the option to buyout the final two years of Lupul’s contract, since it would result in a cap hit until the 2019-20 season.

Unless there is a team interested in swapping a big money contract for someone who could conceivably be placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) or the Leafs make a trade similar to the Panthers-Coyotes involving Dave Bolland (which cost Florida 2015 first rounder Lawson Crouse to get rid of Bolland's $5.5 Million cap hit), the only options left for Toronto is to play Lupul, hope that he does not get injured so that he can be exposed for the expansion draft next summer or repeat the same plan used on defenseman Stephane Robidas 12 months ago.

If Lupul is “Robida-ed”, the Leafs would likely buyout the final year of his contract next June if he is not claimed by Las Vegas. The last year has a salary of $3.75 Million, which would result in a $1.25 Million cap hit spread over two seasons.



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Quote of the Day

“This year, it is going to be totally different, meaning expectations are going to be higher.” Leafs center Nazem Kadri said on TSN’s Overdrive on Monday. “We are playing every single game to win, we are not trying to finish in the cellar anymore and I really think that time for us is over.”

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