Joffrey Lupul caused quite the stir over the weekend after failing his physical then claiming the Toronto Maple Leafs “cheat” in an Instagram post that he eventually deleted.
Lupul suggested in the post he was healthy and told a fan in a comment “I’m ready.. Just awaiting the call..” When someone else mentioned his failed physical he responded by saying, “Haha failed physical? They cheat, everyone lets them.” Hence the controversy.
On Wednesday night, the 33-year-old sent out a statement apologizing for what he described as an “unneeded distraction.”
Lupul played 280 career games with the Maple Leafs from 2011-2016 but hasn’t suited up for an NHL game in more than a year-and-a-half.
The five-time 20-goal scorer has dealt with a litany of injuries throughout his career and has been stuck on the long-term injured reserve. He has received his full salary but his $5.25-million cap hit comes off the books following the 2017-18 season.
In 701 career NHL regular-season games, the seventh-overall pick from 2002 racked up 205 goals and 420 points.
Lupul has said he hopes to resume his playing career, though it’s unclear if and when that might happen.
[relatedlinks]
