Confirmed with Link: Leafs don't sign D Jani Hakanpaa to a 2 years, $1.5M AAV

[Leafsfan74]

Okay, fine. And what about the more important part? Do you trust a man who has a history of making terrible decisions to not make terrible decisions with the cap space? Or do you think he's going to throw that money at people like Reaves, Tanev, Klingberg and OEL?

The Leafs play in the most physical division. It's an arms race for heavy hitters and net nuisances.

It's pretty difficult to screw up just letting a guy walk if he doesn't agree to a trade.

I've said my piece on how I would handle Marner as coach. He will have made over $65M U.S by the end of his contract. He has won a total of one round. Leafs don't owe him or any of the players a thing.

Now, in my assessment, I've stayed loyal from the beginning that Matthews is a core guy to build around. Nylander was inconsistent but when he plays his game he plays much heavier on the puck than Marner. Ditto for JT.

Marner has been the odd man out for me since the Montreal series. Why the band wasn't broken up then is a testament to MLSEs lack of leadership in sports.

So, let him walk for nothing. In the meantime, express by ice time and other means how much the team has moved beyond him. That's the only card the Leafs can play short of demoting him to the minors.

This is serious business and the Leafs brass and many of their players have treated it like a government gig,

 

[FrozenJagrt]

The Leafs play in the most physical division. It's an arms race for heavy hitters and net nuisances.

It's pretty difficult to screw up just letting a guy walk if he doesn't agree to a trade.

I've said my piece on how I would handle Marner as coach. He will have made over $65M U.S by the end of his contract. He has won a total of one round. Leafs don't owe him or any of the players a thing.

Now, in my assessment, I've stayed loyal from the beginning that Matthews is a core guy to build around. Nylander was inconsistent but when he plays his game he plays much heavier on the puck than Marner. Ditto for JT.

Marner has been the odd man out for me since the Montreal series. Why the band wasn't broken up then is a testament to MLSEs lack of leadership in sports.

So, let him walk for nothing. In the meantime, express by ice time and other means how much the team has moved beyond him. That's the only card the Leafs can play short of demoting him to the minors.

This is serious business and the Leafs brass and many of their players have treated it like a government gig,

You didn't answer the question.

Let Marner walk for nothing, fine. I don't care. In your estimation, is Brad Treliving the type of GM you would trust to use that cap space wisely?

 

[Hellcat]

Trainer: Brad stop crying
Brad: TORONTO SIGNED THE BOOGIEMAN!!!

Hakanpaa is 4th for hits among RH Dmen over the last 3 years.​

 

[Gabriel426]

You didn't answer the question.

Let Marner walk for nothing, fine. I don't care. In your estimation, is Brad Treliving the type of GM you would trust to use that cap space wisely?

Good question.

Have to see who is available and wants to play in TO.
People crap on him about Klingberg but the idea was there and he got OEL this off season. Who is on a cheaper contract.
Now we can always compare and state he could had gone for player X with that new contract….but we don’t really know if player X really wants to play for the Leafs.
At this moment, Leafs is just a playoffs team. Nothing more and nothing less.

 

[Leafsfan74]

You didn't answer the question.

Let Marner walk for nothing, fine. I don't care. In your estimation, is Brad Treliving the type of GM you would trust to use that cap space wisely?

Well, Brad has been fine so far. Unlike Dubas, he doesn't have any draft capital to leverage, only now slightly more cap space.

Whether I trust him or not is more of a moot point than if Marner walks for nothing or not. He is the in the GM chair and that's just the way it is. I would have gone with Bergevin at the time of hiring because he's a no-nonsense GM who acts as soon as a player becomes a liability. No matter who the GM is though they can't force a player to waive their NMC so.

Ultimately, fans don't have any choice but to trust him with the cap space, right?

 

[Donnie740]

It's a little weird the Stars decided to let him go and sign Lyubushkin for 2 years instead.

Kinda like it was a “little weird” that Toronto decided to let Hyman go for $5.5M so they could sign Pete Mrazek and Nick Ritchie for a combined $6.3M.

Sometimes teams just make inexplicably dumb decisions.

 

[Hellcat]

Tre has turned a soft ice cream D into a pretty nasty back end

Last year NHL Hits Ranking

02) Benoit
07) McCabe
15) Hakanpää
68) OEL
78) Rielly

I suspect under The Chief's leadership he will command a more physical game.

 

[Wrong Wilson]

Hakanpaa Matata

Reaves approved

 

[SprDaVE]

This is very weird. You have to wonder if the Leafs did their due diligence here.

 

[Gaberd2608]

This is very weird. You have to wonder if the Leafs did their due diligence here.

I think if he absolutely cannot play, not only will he have issues, his agent will lose any credibility moving forward. People dont negotiate in bad faith like that at the NHL....right?

 

[FrozenJagrt]

This is very weird. You have to wonder if the Leafs did their due diligence here.

I'm not sure how much truth there is to this. But I would be surprised if the Leafs didn't do their homework. There's no way they didn't know if someone like Veillette did.

It just strikes me as fear-mongering nonsense, like back in the day when Simmons (writing for the Sun) said Sundin's hip was so bad he was going to retire. And then of course Sundin comes out and has another great season.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

If we're worried about Hakanpaa's injuries, wait until we review Tanev's lol.

Either it's manageable or the leafs staff think they can rehab it. We wouldn't spend millions without basic comprehensive health reviews

 

[Americanadian]

This is very weird. You have to wonder if the Leafs did their due diligence here.

This is wild.

 

[Da Mash]

We needed a big D that closes lanes and clears the net on the PK

He will make the PK better so in my books….might be one of Tre best signing.

I didn’t want The Bear or Edmundson at the price they signed plus both are black holes offensively

We needed good D that can help move the puck out with a good first pass and seems like guys we signed back there can do that and be very good defensively

 

[Stephen]

You didn't answer the question.

Let Marner walk for nothing, fine. I don't care. In your estimation, is Brad Treliving the type of GM you would trust to use that cap space wisely?

I think that decision would be more clear as we approach July 2025, depending on the kind of year Marner had a whatever superstar free agents remain unsigned or want to test the market.

If someone like Rantanen, Shesterkin, Draisaitl is on cruise control to free agency, I’m back channeling like crazy to let them know Maple Leaf dollars are available.

 

[Da Mash]

This is very weird. You have to wonder if the Leafs did their due diligence here.

That is concerning.

 

[Warden of the North]

This is very weird. You have to wonder if the Leafs did their due diligence here.

What is the concern here?

If he can't play at all, he goes on LTIR. Jeffler should understand that.

 

[SprDaVE]

What is the concern here?

If he can't play at all, he goes on LTIR. Jeffler should understand that.

Moreso signing a potentially broken player? LTIR also means not accruing cap space, which can be a huge problem at the deadline for a capped team.

I hope the Leafs learned from the Klingberg fiasco, but this a lot less egregious.

 

[Thornbury]

I'm not sure how much truth there is to this. But I would be surprised if the Leafs didn't do their homework. There's no way they didn't know if someone like Veillette did.

It just strikes me as fear-mongering nonsense, like back in the day when Simmons (writing for the Sun) said Sundin's hip was so bad he was going to retire. And then of course Sundin comes out and has another great season.

Hakanpaa played 82 and 80 games the two seasons prior to last year, when he played 64 before getting injured. How bad can the guy's knee be?

 

[Donnie740]

This situation is about as irrelevant as the gimp who made the tweet.

There’s absolutely no difference between $1.5M and $1.1m to MLSE. If the guy can’t play, he just Toronto LTIR and the Leafs suddenly have an extra $1.5M to spend in season.

It’s not like Toronto gave up a 1st round pick to acquire him like Dumbass did with Nick Foligno.

 

[Commander Clueless]

This is very weird. You have to wonder if the Leafs did their due diligence here.

Oh wonderful.

The Klingberg of defense.

 

[OVO16]

Dont you have to pass a physical before signing a contract?

There's no way I believe that

 

[ClarkSittler]

Tre has turned a soft ice cream D into a pretty nasty back end

Last year NHL Hits Ranking

02) Benoit
07) McCabe
15) Hakanpää
68) OEL
78) Rielly

I suspect under The Chief's leadership he will command a more physical game.

Nice!

5 of our D in the top half of the league and 3 in the top 15.

Berube's cup winning team weren't exactly full of face punchng champs, but they were nasty to play against- just like Florida this year and Vegas the year before- hope this team learns to play the same way.

 

[Leafidelity]

Have the Leafs themselves confirmed this anywhere? They haven't on twitter like all the other signings.

 

[thewave]

Kinda like it was a “little weird” that Toronto decided to let Hyman go for $5.5M so they could sign Pete Mrazek and Nick Ritchie for a combined $6.3M.

Sometimes teams just make inexplicably dumb decisions.

Aint that the truth Donnie. Aint that the truth.