NHL analyst Nick Alberga from LeafsNation suggests that the Toronto Maple Leafs should withdraw their offer to Jani Hakanpaa, as his contract has not yet been finalized.
On July 1, it was widely reported that the Maple Leafs had agreed to a two-year, $3 million deal with Hakanpaa, which initially seemed like a promising move. However, Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons revealed on July 2 that insiders informed him of a severe knee injury to Hakanpaa, with some NHL sources indicating he might not play again.
Following Simmons’ report, other insiders corroborated the seriousness of Hakanpaa’s injury. Alberga therefore argues that Toronto should pull out of the contract before it becomes official, drawing parallels to a previous situation involving John Klingberg last season. Alberga emphasizes the risk involved, suggesting that even if team doctors provide assurances, the potential health concerns outweigh any potential benefits.
Alberga points out that Dallas letting Hakanpaa enter free agency without interest in re-signing him should have raised concerns for the Maple Leafs. Hakanpaa’s last game was on March 16 due to his knee injury, and last season he played 64 games, tallying 2 goals and 10 assists for 12 points.
Treliving Thought Hakanpaa Would be a Penalty Killer
After the news broke that Toronto had signed Jani Hakanpaa to a two-year contract worth $1.5 million per season, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving expressed optimism about the 6-foot-7 defenseman’s potential impact as a key penalty killer for the team.
“Regarding Hakanpaa, he’s a penalty killer. When reflecting on last season, one of the areas we identified for improvement was our penalty kill. Jani excels in that role,” Treliving remarked. “You could see his effectiveness in Dallas over the years, particularly this past season.”
Hakanpaa, originally drafted 104th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL draft, never played for the Blues. Instead, he has had stints with the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, and Dallas Stars during his NHL career.
Maple Leafs GM Excited About Moves on Defense
Before the start of free agency on July 1, the Maple Leafs made multiple signings on defense in addition to Jani Hakanpaa.
They secured Chris Tanev to a six-year contract, intended to play alongside Morgan Reilly on the top pairing. Alongside Tanev, Toronto also signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a four-year deal worth $14 million.
“We’ve added several defensemen to our roster,” Treliving noted. “I’d rather have more options than fewer, and we’ll work through this in the days ahead. Today is about acquiring players, but we build our team throughout the summer. There are still areas we want to strengthen and enhance.”
As of now, Toronto’s available salary cap space stands at just over $955,000, according to PuckPedia.
