NHL analyst Nick Alberga of LeafsNation believes the Toronto Maple Leafs should reconsider their decision to sign Jani Hakanpaa, as the contract has yet to be finalized.
On July 1, several insiders reported that the Maple Leafs had signed Hakanpaa to a two-year deal worth $3 million total. However, Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons revealed on July 2 that sources informed him Hakanpaa’s knee injury is very serious, suggesting he may never play another game in the league.
Following Simmons’ report, other insiders confirmed the severity of Hakanpaa’s knee injury. Alberga argues that Toronto should back out of the contract before it becomes official.
“Based on the John Klingberg situation last season, the Leafs might be better off walking away before anything is finalized. On paper, Hakanpaa could be a valuable addition to bolster the blue line. However, in this case, the risk might outweigh the reward,” Alberga wrote.
“If there are any doubts, they should back off immediately — regardless of the team doctors’ opinions. There’s no need to commit to a multi-year contract with someone who has significant health concerns. Unlike Klingberg, who was signed to a one-year deal, the Leafs would be taking a bigger risk with Hakanpaa,” Alberga added.
Alberga points out that Dallas not re-signing Hakanpaa and letting him hit the open market should have raised concerns for the Maple Leafs’ front office.
Hakanpaa last played on March 16 due to a knee injury. Last season, he appeared in 64 games, recording 2 goals and 10 assists for 12 points.
Treliving Thought Hakanpaa Would be a Key Penalty Killer
After reports emerged that Toronto had signed Hakanpaa to a two-year deal worth $1.5 million per season, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving believed the 6-foot-7 defenseman would be crucial for the team’s penalty kill.
“With Hakanpaa, again a penalty killer. One area we wanted to address from last season was our penalty kill. That’s an area where Jani really excels. You saw that in Dallas over the years, especially this past season,” Treliving said.
Hakanpaa was selected 104th overall in the 2010 NHL draft by the St. Louis Blues. He never played for the Blues but has since played for the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, and Dallas Stars.
Maple Leafs GM Excited About Defensive Additions
Hakanpaa was not the only defensive signing made by Treliving and the Maple Leafs during free agency.
Before the free agency period opened on July 1, Toronto signed Chris Tanev to a six-year deal to be paired with Morgan Reilly. Additionally, the Maple Leafs signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a four-year, $14 million deal.
“We’ve got a group of defensemen. I’d rather have too many than not enough, and we’ll try to sort this out in the coming days. Today’s a day that you can add players, but you build your team over the course of the summer. There are still areas we want to address and improve,” Treliving added.
According to PuckPedia, Toronto currently has just over $955k in salary cap space.
Cole Shelton covers the NHL for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, with bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network, and more.
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