There was an interesting NHL rumor nugget revealed today by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, while he was appearing on an early episode of Toronto Sportsnet 590.
Friedman, as transcribed by NicholsOnHockey.com, said that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens engaged in fairly high-level trade talks surrounding Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul last season.
"Last year, I think the Maple Leafs had some conversations with other teams, I think Montreal was one, about Lupul. And they didn't get the deals done, and I remember asking Dave Nonis about it at the end of the summer. I said, 'What's the deal with Lupul? I heard there was some talk,'" Friedman said.
"And Nonis made what I think was a really good point and that is that Joffrey Lupul, when healthy, is a guy who is worth his salary. And if you get rid of him, all of the sudden you're going to be paying the same amount of money, if not more - plus whatever you have to give up in a trade - to get what he can bring to you. You know, guys who can get 60 points for you are guys who make $5.5-6 million."
Lupul, who the team recently placed on injured reserve, has a long, winding injury history. When healthy, he's a consistent offensive threat - he's got 17 points, nine goals and eight assists in 26 games this season - he's simply not healthy that often.
More troubling for the Leafs and Nonis is that this is an issue that is likely to become exponentially exacerbated as the already 31-year-old Lupul gets older.
But Nonis decided to stand pat, because the injury-prone devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
"So I think the Maple Leafs kind of looked at it like, 'If only we can keep him on the ice, we recognize his value."
That's got to be hard to hear for Leafs fans right now.
The team is playing better and fighting to keep themselves in the postseason picture - they're currently in 7th in the Eastern Conference, giving them a tenuous grasp on a Wild Card spot. With a key offensive piece like Lupul whiling away his time on the bench in injury purgatory for an undetermined amount of time, Leafs fans' hopes have certainly taken a hit.
