Leafs lose more than the game: Lupul out

Joffrey Lupul is injured again. Earth is round, water is wet.

Lupul, who missed the third period of Monday night’s 6-0 loss to Columbus, will not travel with the Leafs on their upcoming road trip. The 30-year old winger has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 groin strain, and will likely miss the next three games against Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Montreal. 

To be honest, it could be a lot longer.

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick suffered a Grade 2 groin strain back in mid-November, and is expected to be out until at least Christmas. Nothing is for sure until MRI results are returned, but it’s not unfathomable to think Lupul could miss something like 4-6 weeks.

At practice today, the Leafs were forced to skate with new line combinations… Necessary considering Lupul’s absence, but not all that bad considering how bad the team has played as of late. According to Sportsnet’s David Alter, Mason Raymond will skate in Lupul’s usual spot on the second line alongside Nazem Kadri and David Clarkson. Here’s the full breakdown…

We’ll update as more details come out.