The fate of Joffrey Lupul with the Toronto Maple Leafs has begun to unfold. According to
TSN's Frank Seravalli,the Leafs winger underwent and failed a physical given the club's medical staff, which will likely find the veteran starting the season on injured reserve.
Toronto is currently over the $73 Million salary cap, but the contracts of injured forward Nathan Horton and defenseman Stephane Robidas are expected to be placed on LTIR before the start of the regular season. Lupul has two years remaining on a five-year contract and if placed on LTIR, it would clear $5.25 Million off the Leafs payroll.
Lupul will be at the opening of Leafs training camp at the MasterCard Center in Etobicoke, ON on Thursday and he and GM Lou Lamoriello are expected to address the media.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs won games against the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins at the annual Rookie Tournament in London, ON last weekend, but more importantly learned about their prospects in advance of the start of training camp on Thursday.
While a more detailed evaluation will be made over the next three weeks in eight exhibition games, the performances in London gave Leafs management and their coaching staff an idea of how much progress young players have made over the summer.
Any harm done by a poor showing over the weekend is not irreparable, just as playing impressively is not a guarantee of future entry into the NHL.
Of the more than 30 players who played, here are five players that did not live up to expectations or were hardly noticeable.
Stumblers
Mitch Marner - The Leafs 2015 top pick is an immense talent and had an incredible season, winning four most valuable player awards and the Memorial Cup with the London Knights.
With Auston Matthews in Toronto, the focus was all on Marner at Budweiser Gardens and although he made some nice plays, he did not control the play the way many people would’ve expected and went scoreless in the pair of games he played in.
Against Ottawa on Friday, there were instances where Marner gained the offensive zone and opted for a risky cross-ice pass that resulted in a counterattack instead of making a safer play. He performed much better on Saturday against Montreal, setting up Tobias Lindberg for at least two solid scoring chances and effectively back-checking a Canadiens forward on a breakaway.
Good decision making and physical maturity will be things that head coach Mike Babcock looks for when determining whether the 19-year-old is ready to play in the NHL. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Marner does not at least get nine NHL games, but the question is whether he stays longer than that or remains the entire season.
Tournament weekend was a checkmark in the column that would see Marner back in London sometime this season, but he will get every opportunity to convince management otherwise.
Antoine Bibeau - The 22-year-old was not sharp in his one start on the weekend, allowing three goals to Montreal, including two tallies in the third that tied the game.
The expectations for the second-year pro who was the surprising go-to option for the Marlies in the Calder Cup Playoffs last spring was to take hold of netminding duties and make a bid for an NHL backup spot, but at this moment, Bibeau will be battling Garret Sparks and rookie Kasimir Kaskisuo for playing time in the AHL/ECHL.
Frederik Gauthier – It is generally accepted that if Toronto’s 2013 top pick makes the NHL, it will be as a role player utilizing his hockey IQ, face-off and special teams ability.
There are similar questions regarding whether Habs center Michael McCarron (selected four picks after Gauthier) can make the jump successfully to the NHL, but in London the big forward was able to go to the net virtually unhindered against smaller, inexperienced defensemen.
Gauthier really did not assert himself offensively or use his size advantage on the weekend against competition consisting mostly of 18 and 19-year-old rookies.
Tobias Lindberg - The 21-year-old winger was acquired as part of the Dion Phaneuf deal last February and was given a six-game stint with the Leafs at the end of last season based mostly on his 6’3”, 215 lb frame.
Lindberg played with Colin Smith and Mitch Marner on both Friday and Saturday and only converted on one of numerous scoring opportunities, but also did not use his size to his advantage. If the Swedish winger is to return to the NHL, that will have to change.
Adam Brooks - The diminutive center was one of many overagers selected by Toronto in the 2016 NHL draft after scoring 120 points with the Regina Pats last season and is expected to jump to the AHL as a 20-year-old in October.
Brooks teamed up with Mitch Marner at the club’s rookie developmental camp in July and impressed with his skating and playmaking ability, but in London did not make much of an impression playing with skilled wingers Andreas Johnsson and Jeremy Bracco on Saturday.
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