Joffrey Lupul has been cleared for contact and is “close” to returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup.

“I feel good. I’m happy to have been able to practise,” said Lupul, out with a concussion since April 4. “I feel pretty confident. I’ve been working really hard. We’ll see. I can’t say exactly when I’ll come back, but I’m close.”

Lupul said Sunday he takes the blame for being hit, sandwiched as he was by the Flyers Jay Rosehill and Adam Hall. After the hit, Lupul staggered to the bench. It took the team some time to confirm his concussion status.

“I was disappointed with myself, putting myself in the situation to take that hit,” said Lupul. “I knew who I was on the ice with and where the puck was. I thought I located both those guys, but I didn’t see what way Rosehill was coming.

“I take responsibility for that. You’ve got to protect yourself. I should have protected myself. Those two guys shouldn’t be taking me out of the lineup.”

When he’s healthy – which hasn’t been very often – Lupul has been the team’s best forward. He has eight goals and six assists in the 10 games he’s played so far. He missed a chunk of the season with a broken forearm and then missed two more games due to a suspension.

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