The veteran forward spent the entire 2016-17 season on LTIR, but stirred up questions when he called the Leafs cheaters for how they used the designation, hinting at the fact that he was indeed healthy enough to play.
Now that Lupul has undergone an independent evaluation of his status and been deemed unfit to play, the Leafs have the option of placing him on LTIR, which would result in his $5.25-million salary for the 2017-18 season not counting against Toronto's salary cap.
Lupul has not suited up in an NHL contest since the 2015-16 campaign.
Selected 24th overall in 2012, Subban appeared in only two games with the Bruins, recording a save percentage of .727 in 62 minutes of play. He's posted a .918 save percentage in 127 AHL appearances and put in a strong showing at training camp, but was beat out by Anton Khudobin for the right to serve as backup to Tuukka Rask.
The Golden Knights have Marc-Andre Fleury and Calvin Pickard penned in as the top options in net, meaning Subban will likely begin the season with the AHL's Chicago Wolves.
Subban is entering the final season of a two-year deal that carries a $650,000 cap hit.
That's the inscription on a helmet sticker to be worn by the Ottawa Senators this season in honor of Bryan Murray, who died on Aug. 12 after a three-year battle with colon cancer.
After New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes declared Boyle a possibility for opening night, the veteran forward - who was recently diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia - is tapping the brakes
"The bottom line is, it's progressing," Boyle said Monday, per Mike Morreale of NHL.com. "I said (on Sept. 19) that I wanted to play in the season opener, because doesn't everyone? But it's not the be-all, end-all if it didn't happen. Even if I'm cleared to practice with the team, I'm not just going to jump in. I need to get my own training here at some point and get into situations that are real instead of just skating."
Boyle has been skating on his own to date, and wants to make sure he can contribute when he joins his fellow Devils on the ice for game action.
"I haven't bumped or hit anyone, and that's a huge part of your conditioning, so that's still something hanging over my head so that when I come back, I want to have an impact," he said. "I'm doing everything I can now to make sure that happens, but it's going to take some time."
Boyle signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Devils as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He scored 13 goals and added 12 assists in 75 games last season split between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hossa was ruled out for the duration of the 2017-18 campaign due to a progressive skin disorder, propelling the league to review the situation with an independent doctor.
The ruling serves as a huge relief for the cap-crunched Blackhawks, who can stash Hossa's $5.275-million cap hit for the length of the season. Chicago also placed defenseman Michal Rozsival on LTIR on Monday.
Hossa, 38, still has four years remaining on the mega-contract he signed with the Blackhawks in 2009. Over his first eight seasons in the Windy City, he's suited up for 534 games, accumulated 415 points, and won three Stanley Cups.
The Blackhawks begin their 2017-18 season Thursday night versus Pittsburgh.
It was reported that Anderson ended his summer-long holdout Monday night.
Per Blue Jackets policy, terms were not disclosed, but Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports the pact is worth $5.55 million over three seasons.
"Josh was an important contributor on our team a year ago and we believe he will continue to be an important part of our team in the years to come," said general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. "He brings size, speed, and grit to our lineup, and as a young player, is still growing and developing with his best years still to come."
The 23-year-old Anderson registered a career-high 17 goals in 2016-17.
As part of our extensive season preview coverage, theScore's hockey editors are taking a look at who we think will earn some of the NHL's biggest honors at season's end.
The next round of NHL Awards won't be officially handed out until next June, but that doesn't mean we can't get a head start on projecting them.
Some players are virtual locks to repeat as recipients of certain trophies, while we should see some new winners in several key categories.
Here's who we believe will take home the hardware:
Hart Trophy - Connor McDavid
Josh Gold-Smith: We've now seen what McDavid is capable of in a full season, and there's no reason to believe he won't replicate his MVP form of a season ago.
The 20-year-old superstar hauled in both the Hart and Art Ross trophies in 2016-17, hitting triple digits in the points column while playing every game.
Barring another injury, McDavid is surely due to improve on his 30-goal output, and another season of growth at the NHL level will leave no doubt that he's the league's most valuable player.
Vezina Trophy - Matt Murray
Ian McLaren: We've all witnessed how good Murray has been in the postseason, serving as the goalie of record while the Pittsburgh Penguins raised the Stanley Cup the last two seasons.
His sample size in the regular season is not huge, but he's proven to be as good during the winter months as he's been in spring. Over the past two seasons, he's tied for first in save percentage with Carey Price after stopping 92.5 percent of all shots against, only a slight dip from the 92.8 percent success rate achieved in the playoffs.
Now that Marc-Andre Fleury is gone, he'll get even more starts, and he'll have Kris Letang back on defense to help keep the puck away.
Murray has emerged as one of the best goalies in the game, and he'll further back it up with some hardware earned when the games don't mean quite as much.
Norris Trophy - Erik Karlsson
Craig Hagerman: Karlsson played arguably the best hockey of his career last spring, as he spearheaded the Ottawa Senators' unlikely run to the Eastern Conference Final, all the while playing on just one healthy leg. Who can forget his rink-long saucer pass to Mike Hoffman against the Boston Bruins?
As the 2018 season nears, Karlsson will be cautious about his return, to be sure his leg is 100 percent healthy before getting into game action. However, it's partially for that reason that Karlsson will win the Norris Trophy.
He's the most electric defenseman in the league, and at 100 percent health, he should be that much better. Karlsson isn't expected to miss any major time to begin the season, so a lengthy absence shouldn't be an issue. Offensively and even on the other side of the puck now, Karlsson is the best defenseman in the league. End of discussion.
Calder Trophy - Clayton Keller
Sean O'Leary: There are plenty of intriguing rookie of the year candidates entering the league this season, but Keller gets the nod. The 19-year-old is a dynamic offensive talent, and will have every opportunity be the centerpiece of a young Arizona Coyotes attack under new head coach Rick Tocchet.
Keller put up 45 points in 31 games at Boston University last season, then recorded two assists in a three-game stint with Arizona to close out the season.
If Keller played in a bigger market, the spotlight on his potential would be much brighter, but he'll put himself and the Coyotes on the map with a season worthy of Rookie of the Year honors in 2017-18.
Selke Trophy - Patrice Bergeron
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Cory Wilkins: Until we're given reason to say otherwise, the stalwart Bruins center will lock up the Selke Trophy. Again.
Bergeron has captured this honor in three of the past four years, and he's won it four times since 2011-12. That success rate puts him in the same category as Montreal Canadiens legend Bob Gainey, with both taking home the award four times.
Maybe it's time to rename the Selke as the Bergeron.
Jack Adams Award - Phil Housley
Josh Wegman: The Jack Adams Award is rarely given to the league's best coach, but rather the coach of the most overachieving team, or the most improved team. The Buffalo Sabres will fall into the latter category this season.
Housley spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Predators, primarily working with their defensemen. Anyone who watched them during the playoffs knows how much they like to activate their D. This aggressive, attacking style of coaching will bring out the best in some key Sabres, such as Jack Eichel, Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Zach Bogosian.
As long as the Sabres can stay healthy (they were hampered by injuries a year ago) they will make the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season. That will be enough for Housley to earn a coach of the year nod in his first season behind the Sabres' bench.
GM of the Year - David Poile
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Flip Livingstone: Poile may have already taken home the honors by winning last year's GM of the Year Award, but, that doesn't change the fact that he is one of the sharpest hockey minds in the game today.
Not only are the Nashville Predators a testament to that fact as one of the deepest teams in the NHL, but Poile's built his team from the net out with mostly homegrown talent.
While Nashville's lineup won't need a ton of work over the course of the 2017-18 season, expect Poile to be at the ready to do whatever it takes to ensure that his group will be one of the clubs in contention for Lord Stanley's Mug.
