Leafs ‘cheat’ on physical, Lupul claims
Maple Leaf Joffrey Lupul used his Instagram account to suggest he’s ready to play for the Maple Leafs and that he did not fail a physical.
“I’m ready. Just awaiting the call.” Lupul wrote under a photograph of an unidentified snowboarder.
In comments after his post, some of his followers encouraged him to come back, some professed to miss him and one urged him to tell “the real story” of his injury.
Lupul responded to one of them about the physical the team said he failed on Thursday.
“Haha failed physical. They cheat, everyone lets them,” Lupul wrote — and later deleted — on his verified @jlupul account.
The Maple Leafs declined comment, while neither the NHL Players Association nor the NHL could be immediately reached for reaction.
The image had more than 1,000 likes within three hours, including one from teammate Nazem Kadri.
Lupul’s injury, like one to defenceman Stephane Robidas, has always been clouded in mystery. Some believed the Leafs were using the long-term injured reserve as an end run around the salary cap, and to create roster spots for younger players.
Robidas had talked about being the seventh defenceman on the last day of training camp in 2015-16. The next day, he was on the injured list and never skated for the team.
The joke was that he was lost on Robidas Island. The same thing seemed to happen to Lupul.