I asked what you think happened and you answered. Thank you.
I still don't think this lines up timing-wise though. It was "reported" that the Leafs signed Hakanpaa on at around 4pm on July 1. The two year, $1.5M terms were reported also. It seemed legit and official.
After a few hours we were all wondering why it hadn't been announced by the Leafs or the league like every other deal was. Late in the day, around 8pm on July 1, Simmons reported in his column and amplified it on Twitter that Hakanpaa had knee issues and some thought he might never play again.
You think the Leafs saw this report and changed course? They would have already reviewed medical records long before this and more importantly the deal would have already been registered and announced in that window, like every other deal.
What you are suggesting is that Leafs and/or Hakanpaa leaked an agreement in principle that was not yet registered. They never do this and Hakanpaa would have clearly not been motivated to say anything until it was formalized.
What seems more likely was that discussions took place, terms were discussed and then something caused the Leafs to not register the deal. Perhaps the medical records? There is never a four hour gap between a signed deal and an announcement. This deal was obviously never signed so Simmons (like others) reported incorrectly that it was. It was not reversed it was already not registered before Simmons reported the injury and there is no reason to believe he knew more than the Leafs did.