Hockey Widow wrote:Salmi's injury was very legit. I remember it well.
What was suspect was his delayed return. Bieksa was all but traded that summer but then Salo got injured. Bieksa played great, our D was great that year. Salo's return was definetly dragged out including his conditioning stint.
We're the Canucks guilty? Ya. But not egregiously so. An argument could be made they wanted to be sure the Glass man was 100%. But I would buy into the conspiracy theory on that.
But what other teams have done is very blatant in comparison. Like the cap circumvention where teams just cheated a bit compared to the Luongo contract that was way over the line. Degrees. Degrees.
Just because all teams do it doesn't make it right. And uncle Lou, well he has a reputation for skirting the rules and fucking players over. He's a throw back to the no nonsense I'm in charge type of GM.
From the leaves’ end, it means Lupul ostensibly violated the spirit of the agreement he made with the team. Basically, he agreed to disappear silently to California and, in exchange for that absence, he would be paid in full, the $5.25 million — $10.5 million if you include last season — remaining on his contract. All the leaves asked of him was to be invisible.
the leaves remain steadfast that they have done nothing wrong here, even though there is an appearance of scandal. Lupul isn’t talking. His agents, one for contracts, one for marketing, didn’t return calls on Monday. The NHL Players’ Association indicated on Monday that Lupul had three days to appeal the results of his medical exam — and he did not file an appeal.
Which means what?
HW Salo and Manny and Louongo Never Looked good on the outside and down the road none of those deals still do Having said all that NOBODY COMPLAINED and u know why cause everybody in the League does it if the League wanted it stopped it would be stopped and teams would get fined.... As far as this story here is more...
Word around for some time has been that there is more to this story, that the leaves have something on the veteran winger. Something damaging they just might release should Lupul become an annoyance to them. Either he was reminded of that on Sunday or an agent reminded him or maybe he just had the sense himself to take the post down.
He has no leverage here. Had the leaves bought him out, he would have received just two-thirds of his salary over twice the length of term of the contract. That’s $7 million over four years instead of $10.5 million over two. Had he forced the issue, the leaves would have dispatched him to the minors, and probably somewhere lower than the AHL. He could play, assuming he is able, and ride the bus from one nowhere town to another.
Or he could play golf in California and have his green fees paid for and have a whole lot more than that.
Before camp began, Lupul wasn’t seen skating, not in or around Toronto and not with the NHL groups in California getting ready for the season. If you wanted to, I’m told, you could find him most days on the golf course. He seems quite able to play 18 holes.
Lupul may or may not be injured. The leaves may or may not be skirting the rules here. This didn’t pass the smell test a year ago and still doesn’t necessarily today.
But the truth remains the truth in some part: The leaves don’t want him, are willing to pay for him to stay away, and they know, deep down, that there’s not a damn thing he can do about it.
The leaves are doing Joffery Dirty... My response is.... SO.... AND...
Sounds Like Joffery wants to Play INSERT EYE ROLL HERE but truth betold if there was some form of an agreement not to maybe play then maybe the leaves go looking for that Money back... Im sure Joffery would return every penny of that 10.5 Large to clear his conscience...
Maybe he could find it on the Golf course or on the mountain he was Snowboarding on... I know this chafes The good Doctors ass cause he thought he had those dastardly leaves dead to Rights
Another time perhaps...