Obviously, the biggest story of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ early season success is the league leading production of Phil Kessel, who upped his total to 20 points tonight. Kessel isn’t the only oft-criticized “one dimensional” resurgent right-handed winger (catches breath) in Toronto, though. His frequent linemate (and hasty Halloween costume designer) Joffrey Lupul is on quite the tear in his own right.
Lupul scored a hat trick in Toronto’s 5-3 win against the New Jersey Devils to move his points total to 14, including eight tallies. He’s just four points away from tying the 18 he produced in the 29 games he played after being traded.
For a while, it seemed like Lupul’s hockey gravestone would read “Guy who kept being the consolation prize in trades.” That was especially true with Chris Pronger; Lupul was involved in two trades for the elbow-throwing All-Star defenseman: once in 2006 and then in 2009.
He’s never bested the 53 points he scored in his second season with his first team, the (then Mighty) Anaheim Ducks, but maybe some of that has to do with the perennial uproar Lupul dealt with? He’s played on four different teams and made two tours of duty with the Ducks in his eight NHL seasons.
The law of averages says that he won’t continue to shoot at 21.6 percent, much like Kessel won’t maintain his 23.8 rate. Still, it’s quite possible that both can maintain at least some of their momentum and help their team continue to “outscore their problems.”
Lupul might even find a semi-permanent home in Toronto in the process.