Hakanpaa contract with Leafs reworked from two years to one
More than two months after it was originally reported, the Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have finally signed a veteran free agent.
Today, the news broke that defenceman Jani Hakanpaa had come to terms with the team, as reported first by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The deal was originally reported to be a two-year deal back in July but has now been reported as a one-year deal worth $1.47 million.
The major snag on the deal appears to be a lingering knee injury from Hakanpaa.
“He believes he can play on his knee,” TSN’s Chris Johnston said back in mid-August. “I don’t know that there’s unanimity in that opinion from those that are looking at his medical file. There’s just concerns that, essentially, he’s got bone on bone. It’s not a situation that can be terribly comfortable.”
Three days after Johnston’s proclamation, Leafs GM Brad Treliving spoke briefly on the situation on the day Auston Matthews became Leafs captain.
“We’re working through that,” Treliving said. “Today, we’re dealing with this. But we’ll get to that, hopefully, sooner rather than later.”
The 32-year-old Finn joins a veteran-laden blue line featuring Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Timothy Liljegren, and Simon Benoit.
In 64 games with the Dallas Stars last season, Hakanpaa scored two goals and 12 points while averaging 18:39 minutes of ice time. He made his NHL debut in the 2019-20 season with the Anaheim Ducks while also having a brief stint with the Carolina Hurricanes before spending each of the last three seasons in Dallas.
With training camps set to open soon, the NHL regular season is less than a month away. Toronto opens up their preseason on September 22 against the Ottawa Senators, before the games begin for real when they take on the Montreal Canadiens on October 9.
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