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

[rumman]

It really is a no win:
1. They knew about the injury and signed him anyway
2. They didn't know about the injury and they're clearly incompetent

Winner winner chicken dinner……

 

[Leaf Fans]

Just that it makes Tre look silly having talked about him being signed on July 1 and when it wasn't the case.

Not a huge deal by any stretch, but certainly a strike against him. I would have liked them to at least reference the situation this summer (only thing Tre said was he's "working through that" and then deflected), but I'm guessing they are waiting for camp at this point.

My other conspiracy is they are mum on the situation because they are going to do something with his injury and the cap and want some form of plausible deniability.

Unsigned players don't add anything to the cap.

 

[Menzinger]

The team almost certainly knew he had an injury (it was publicly reported during his time in Dallas), so they clearly waited for him to be cleared until they registered the deal.

Nobody is 'signed' until the contract is registered with the league head office - which hasn't happened here.

I'm hardly a fan of Tre, but this is all dumb. The team did the right thing.

 

[Gallagbi]

How does Tre look incompetent? Tre and leafs management actually come out looking competent here because they didn’t actually sign the contract before completing the physical. That’s good work by them, they didn’t handcuff themselves.

It would be incompetent to sign the contract without the physical or knowing the results of the physical and neither has happened. So where is the incompetency? No contract has been signed.

Incompetent isn't the word I'd use, but it's odd to have the name reported by the GM before signing.

Feels like the Leafs thought they were closer to the signing than they were. Could be players fault, could be GMs fault, likely a mixture of both

 

[Roo]

Some of the comments make no sense. You sign a player with a condition on passing a physical and it falls through, that is not incompetent. Incompetent is handing out the deal without the diligence of checking on the injury. They gave themselves an opportunity to sign the player on day 1 of UFA. Can’t see how anyone sees this as a negative on the GM.

It’s like buying a house with conditions on the offer. You sign the deal and use the time following to get the conditions met. If it doesn’t happen you lose nothing. Roll the dice and you can lose your shirt.

 

[conFABulator]

So they signed a player, but didn’t finalize it? Why sign a player without knowing he’s injured, isn’t that putting the horse gefore the cart? Seems others in the NHL knew his knee was toast. Riddle me that Batman……

Again, I am guessing he wasn't signed at all boy wonder. Maybe they had an agreement "two years and $1.5M per year, as long as your medical and health checks out Ok". Maybe that go leaked? The Leafs and the player have never said anything was signed. Just the media.

 

[conFABulator]

This is called window dressing. Tre wanted to look like he had covered all his bases when Zadorov, Pesche, Montour etc. went elsewhere. He wanted Tanev, then went for OEL because he had to and then threw this in to gamble.Net impact zero. Zzzzz

You wanted Zadorov, Pesce and Montour at those prices.

The actual experts and professionals believe the Leafs had one of the best off-seasons, so I am not sure these moves were window dressing. We wanted Roy and couldn't get him. I don't think we were in on the others or wanted them.

 

[darrylsittler27]

You wanted Zadorov, Pesce and Montour at those prices.

The actual experts and professionals believe the Leafs had one of the best off-seasons, so I am not sure these moves were window dressing. We wanted Roy and couldn't get him. I don't think we were in on the others or wanted them.

I think Zadorov yes, Pesche RHD maybe, Montour heard the ask and moved on. Roy sure.

 

[Stephen]

I wouldn’t sign a player without knowing his health, I guess when they realized his knee is pooched the didn’t finalize the deal?

I would guess that when free agents are signing at noon on July 1 none of them have actually flown to their new cities to be medically cleared. Dunno how the medicals work and what the timing is but the Hakanpaa contract seems to have been paused and whatever steps they’re taking now is anyone’s guess. Maybe we will hear about it one day.

 

[Maple Leaf]

So signed or not signed

 

[SprDaVE]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1833488938394157087

 

[ACC1224]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1833488938394157087

Interesting.

@jaric1862 maybe you're on to something.

 

[Rare Jewel]

So signed or not signed

Hopefully, the latter.

 

[OVO16]

Hopefully Hakanpaa can play and there are no injury concerns. He would be a beast for us on the backend.

Benoit - Hakanpaa pairing would be nasty physical paring

 

[Ianturnedbull]

There will no doubt be a trade.

I think we've seen the last of Liljegren.

 

[weems]

Hopefully Hakanpaa can play and there are no injury concerns. He would be a beast for us on the backend.

Benoit - Hakanpaa pairing would be nasty physical paring

How would that pairing move the puck tho?

 

[Rare Jewel]

There will no doubt be a trade.

I think we've seen the last of Liljegren.

If they trade Lilly after signing a player with one leg, the #firetre has my permission to commence.

 

[robertmac43]

How is everything going to fit under the Cap? Someone needs to go.

Timmins the most likely candidate but even then it doesn't leave much room.

 

[Skullz]

He is a perfect fit if he is indeed healthy. Will play a ton of PK, hopefully we don't need to overplay Tanev.

I think he would work well as a rotational piece. Doesn't need to play everynight, unless there are injuries.

But between him and Benoit, we now have the type of defencemen we always waste deadline picks on.

 

[conFABulator]

He is a perfect fit if he is indeed healthy. Will play a ton of PK, hopefully we don't need to overplay Tanev.

I think he would work well as a rotational piece. Doesn't need to play everynight, unless there are injuries.

But between him and Benoit, we now have the type of defencemen we always waste deadline picks on.

This makes perfect sense.

However, it does not jive with the narrative that Treliving is a bumbling fool and his incompetence was outed most recently by Steve Simmons.

 

[nuck]

How would that pairing move the puck tho?

The forwards can come back and recover it from the crushed bodies of the opposition

 

[Stephen]

There will no doubt be a trade.

I think we've seen the last of Liljegren.

I don’t think they trade a healthy young guy under 25 to make room for Pacioretty and Hakanpaa.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I don’t think they trade a healthy young guy under 25 to make room for Pacioretty and Hakanpaa.

I am going to back track a little, but only a little. Maybe that's true, but Lil is overpaid for his position (6 d). Do you trade him for cap relief, and to re-coop a.draft pick (Dubas mess)?

 

[Stephen]

I am going to back track a little, but only a little. Maybe that's true, but Lil is overpaid for his position (6 d). Do you trade him for cap relief, and to re-coop a.draft pick (Dubas mess)?

I would hockey trade Liljegren, but the primary motivation wouldn’t be to clear cap to sign Patches and Hakanpaa if that makes sense.

 

[Joe n]

I am going to back track a little, but only a little. Maybe that's true, but Lil is overpaid for his position (6 d). Do you trade him for cap relief, and to re-coop a.draft pick (Dubas mess)?

If he is overpaid then who is going to take him?