Maple Leafs' Lupul: 'A year of us not making the playoffs again is not going to be acceptable'

It's a make-or-break season for this Toronto Maple Leafs core, according to winger Joffrey Lupul.

"For this group of guys this is a big year for us," the Maple Leafs' winger and alternate captain told Chris Johnston of Sportsnet on Tuesday. "We have to make a step. A year of us not making the playoffs again is not going to be acceptable.

"(Since I arrived) we had one good year that ended in a first-round playoff loss and a great series, but we need to do more this year."

Lupul is poised to return from injury Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and hopes his presence is felt immediately.

"It's not just come back and try and find your spot in the lineup," he said.

The 31-year-old forward is in the second season of a lucrative five-year, $26.25-million contract extension. While no one doubts his skill level, Lupul has battled through a myriad of injuries in his career and has never been a particularly safe bet to remain in the lineup. 

He admitted Tuesday that he's feeling a bit vulnerable, mentally speaking, about the state of his health.

"That first week or 10 days, in particular, it’s a pretty low feeling," Lupul said. "It’s not a good thing. Physically I’m sure I could handle another injury but mentally I don’t know if I can right now.

"So hopefully I just stay healthy for a bit."

The Maple Leafs have been an improved club at five-on-five this season, and boast one of the league's most potent power-play units - a team strength that will be bolstered further with Lupul's return. 

Still, inconsistency and leadership questions continue to plague the club.

"We’re at the point where I think everyone here would like to see us get some momentum," Lupul said. "Maybe not necessarily a six- or seven-game winning streak, but just six or seven good hockey games in a row.

"We just want to get playing like a consistent team - like a Boston or a Pittsburgh, where you know kind of what you’re going to get every night."

That hasn't been the case for the Maple Leafs, though, a club that's apparently still searching for its identity in the early going. 

Or maybe they've found that identity. Maybe this is just a permissive defensive club with excellent goaltending and a solid power play, icing a first line that's too prone to getting caved in by its opponents' best players. 

For a hockey team that's reliant on something ephemeral - like goal scoring - streakiness and inconsistency is to be expected. If the Maple Leafs hope to take a step forward, they'll need the spine of their team to improve appreciably. 

Whether this core, under head coach Randy Carlyle, can make that happen or not, remains an open question.