When it comes to NHL players failing physicals, expected news can still be sad news.
It’s unfortunate - though maybe for the best - that Clarke MacArthur failed his physical with the Ottawa Senators. A long run, with some great moments with the same Chicago Blackhawks, might be over for Michal Rozsival after failing his.
Even ones that feel like formalities are a drag because we’re reminded of what once was, and perhaps what could have been had these players stayed even reasonably healthy.
So, it’s not surprising that Joffrey Lupul and Nathan Horton failed their Toronto Maple Leafs physicals, as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported. Both cases are unfortunate nonetheless.
Lupul, 33, stated that he wanted to continue his career when it was clear he’d enter the 2016-17 season on injured reserve. His $5.25 million cap hit expires after this coming season.
If this is it for Lupul, he can look back at multiple 20+ goal seasons and two strong playoff runs during his career.
Horton, 32, will see his $5.3M cap hit expire in three seasons. He won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins and enjoyed some strong years as a power forward, yet he barely suited up for the Columbus Blue Jackets team that signed him to his mammoth contract and was traded to Toronto in a bizarre swap of cap hits (David Clarkson, his spiritual salary cap sibling, went to Columbus).
In a strange twist, both forwards look like they’ll finish their careers with nearly identical point totals; Lupul is at 420 while Horton scored 421.