All-Star Weekend usually means a lack of news for more most teams. Such is the case for the Leafs at the moment. Lulls in the season can be a good time to look back at some of the season's top storylines. One of those storylines deals with Toronto's leading scorer at the break. The long road Joffrey Lupul has taken to simply get back to the NHL makes him a candidate for the Masterton trophy. But his sudden scoring prowess makes him a favorite for team MVP, which is something few would have expected when he arrived last year. James Mirtle of the Globe & Mail has the story:

"It came down to, if the last infection didn’t get healed, he would have needed a third surgery. Which would have put him out at least another year, if not forever. We went through as a family a six-month period where his playing hockey again was not even a consideration. We were concerned about his health and his life."

Craig Lupul paused on the phone, as he thought about how to put into words what this weekend meant after what his son has been through.

"When I see him go from 170 pounds to 210, and come this far, and get picked for an all-star game, I can only describe it as surreal," he said. "I can’t really even believe it."

Links after the jump...

Things overheard backstage at the NHL all-star fantasy draft

New DGB

The impact of the JML extension

Anthony Petrielli has the write-up for MLHS

Tim Thomas: Did he trump the team?

VLM says personal values matter, but will this hurt the Bruins?

From The Branches