Report: Lupul calls out Leafs, says they “cheat”

Few hockey fans were surprised when Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul failed his physical examination late last week. The 33-year-old veteran missed the entirety of the 2016-17 seasons after suffering a sports hernia injury and, by most accounts, did not factor into the Leafs’ short-term or long-term plans. He’d been exiled from the team along with other big ticket, injured veterans like Stephane Robidas and Nathan Horton. Now, however Lupul is freely discussing his “failed physical” on social media and throwing some serious doubts into the way the Leafs conduct business.

Check it out:

Image taken from The Toronto Star.

Underneath a photo of what is presumably Lupul riding his snowboard, the caption reads, "I'm ready.. Just awaiting the calll.” When fans ask him about his failed physical, that’s when it gets interesting. “Haha failed physical? They cheat, everyone lets them,” he replied in the now deleted post. 

Wow. That’s a ballsy statement from a well-respected veteran player. Between this and Jared Cowen’s “joke” comments on his contract buy-out, some fans are calling into question the Leafs’ business practices. If Lupul is in fact healthy and the team failed him just to get out of their contract commitments, they’re cheating. Plain and simple. It remains to be seen what happens in this process, as Lupul still has the option to appeal the team’s decision through the NHLPA. Chances are he’d rather cut his ties and move on to a new team, but with the preseason already under way, he could find it difficult finding a new job.