Dreger: Maybe it's time Leafs consider trading Lupul

Darren Dreger was on Toronto’s TSN 1050 on Wednesday morning.

On the possibility of the Leafs making a trade:

“Traditionally David, as you know, what happens is when you hit the skids – and the skids for me, it’s the wild inconsistency. It’s not just the last two games. It’s the losses prior to that. The shutdown versus the Boston Bruins at Air Canada Centre early in the season, when the Leafs didn’t show up at all. Then they rise to the occasion and they do something else. Last week it was a big win over Boston and not a bad effort versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, but now you’ve got three straight losses.

“Traditionally what happens, as you know, when you go through those things – you look for a deal before you fire a coach or maybe a dramatic front office change. But the vultures are now circling. As you creep closer to the American Thanksgiving mark – that 20-game mark – that’s when you start to see a bit more trade wiggle room.

“But yeah, I’m sure the managers will be calling and they’ll be trying to pick Nonis’s pocket on Joffrey Lupul, if you will, which the guy’s hurt a lot – maybe it’s time to consider finally moving him. Nazem Kadri, who I believe was one of Toronto’s best players last night, with Komarov and Santorelli.

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“Now, do you look at something bigger? At what point do you identify the core of this team? We can talk about what we think is the core because they’re the highest-paid guys, but at what point do you isolate one of those guys and say, ‘Alright, the time has come?’

“The problem is, and this is just kind of my own opinion on this – not inside information – I think a lot of those guys fellas, would look at that opportunity – a trade scenario – as a get out of jail free card. And that’s the problem. In essence, that’s the issue. Mentally – mentally these guys aren’t willing to compete as hard as you have to even have a chance against a good Western Conference team like Nashville.”

Source: TSN 1050/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey