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Next up on the player review list is Joffrey Lupul.

It was a whirlwind season for the man who has rejuvenated his career in Toronto. Lupul signed a 5-year deal worth 26.25M, got hurt twice, suspended once, and still potted 18 points in only 16 games before notching four more points in seven playoff games.

I gave Lupul a 7, which was the second lowest ranking any of the writers here gave him (Mike gave him a six, if you were wondering). A seven to me means he had a “pretty good” season overall, relative to his role. Lupul’s expected to score and play in a top six role, which he obviously did when he was healthy. However, he played less than 50% of the games and whether you think the injuries were his fault or not, it’s a recurring theme with Lupul at this point.

In fairness, Lupul did do well to not allow his injuries to affect his play. Whenever he jumped back into the line-up he was clearly ready to go. In the grand scheme of things, though, I just can’t give a player a high rating based on 18 of 48 games.

Going into next season, the question with Lupul will be whether Carlyle plays him with Kessel again to create an all-out scoring line that is poor defensively, or whether Lupul is paired up with last season’s partner Nik Kulemin to help balance out his deficiencies defensively; perhaps playoff line mate Frattin will be reunited with Lupul again, too.

Regardless of what line Lupul does end up on, we know what he brings at this point: he’s a pure scorer who will get dirty in front of the opposition’s net, and he’s the emotional leader of the team.

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Plays of the Year:

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RATE THIS PLAYER: Out of 10, rate Joffrey Lupul’s season relative to his role and the expectations for the player entering the season. Be sure to back it up.