Joffrey Lupul has spent eleven years in the National Hockey League after being drafted seventh overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the one-time Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He has bounced around quite a bit during that decade-plus, spending time with the Ducks, the Oilers, the Flyers and his current team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, all for varying lengths of time, and some for more than one stay.
Now, Lupul may again be on the move to a new NHL destination, this time much further south and much farther east. The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs are talking about a potential deal that would send Lupul to Florida, possibly in exchange for defensive stalwart, Willie Mitchell, according to Eklund of Hockeybuzz.
...I was just texted this from a reliable source. The Leafs I know have some interest in Willie Mitchell as they are looking for some stay at home leadership...
Mitchell, as Eklund noted, is mostly a stay-at-home defenseman who impacts the game as much with the strength of his in-locker room personality as he does with his play on the ice.
Lupul is an enigmatic scorer who has gone through a variety of highs and lows, and dealt with his share of injury issues during his time in the league. He had 44 points last season and 67 in the 2011-12 season (h/t to Hockey-Reference.com), but managed only 18 in an injury-shortened 2012-13 season.
An interesting connection is that Scottie Upshall, right winger and alternate captain for Florida, was very close with Lupul during their shared time as members of the Philadelphia Flyers.
