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

[conFABulator]

I mean, I don't have an issue with it in the sense that he is a bottom-tier player in any event, so it's not like having him or not having will impact the season. I just don't think there is any great controversy about what happened. It's just a failed physical.

If it was just a failed physical, Treliving wouldn't have said (yesterday) that "we are still working it through". He would have said, the player failed a physical and we are not signing him.

Here is what I think and have always thought. The Leafs want him and are happy to wait until the playoffs or late in the season. They are trying to find away to do cap gymnastics here. Maybe they want the player to agree that he cannot play to start the year and he accepts less on a two year deal? Maybe 2.4m over two years and they can bury him on IR, not LTIR until he is healthy. I really don't know, but this doesn't feel like a guy we almost signed who failed a physical.

It never did and Tre's comments add to my feelings on this.

Also, are we sure the media is soft? We hear how it is the biggest drawback to playing here. We know that Marner hired protection from the media and social media. Listen to Kypreos, read Cox and Simmons. Soft on them? Really?

 

[Evilhomer]

If it was just a failed physical, Treliving wouldn't have said (yesterday) that "we are still working it through". He would have said, the player failed a physical and we are not signing him.

Here is what I think and have always thought. The Leafs want him and are happy to wait until the playoffs or late in the season. They are trying to find away to do cap gymnastics here. Maybe they want the player to agree that he cannot play to start the year and he accepts less on a two year deal? Maybe 2.4m over two years and they can bury him on IR, not LTIR until he is healthy. I really don't know, but this doesn't feel like a guy we almost signed who failed a physical.

It never did and Tre's comments add to my feelings on this.

Also, are we sure the media is soft? We hear how it is the biggest drawback to playing here. We know that Marner hired protection from the media and social media. Listen to Kypreos, read Cox and Simmons. Soft on them? Really?

Go ask players in New York and Philadelphia how the media is in those cities.

 

[conFABulator]

Go ask players in New York and Philadelphia how the media is in those cities.

Also tough.

What does that have to do with this. I didn't say it was the hardest city media wise (though it might be). I said it was not a soft media city. There are a few stops between my comment and your response.

 

[DarkKnight]

Go ask players in New York and Philadelphia how the media is in those cities.

To be fair it's not close the number, nor is it THE sport in either market. There is no peer to Toronto and Montreal for scrutiny and volume , ainec.

 

[conFABulator]

Go ask players in New York and Philadelphia how the media is in those cities.

Not related to the soft media stuff, but still on Hakanpaa...

Is there any chance the Leafs don't want to sign him officially until we get our RFAs locked up? I am watching the Edmonton/St Louis offer sheet deal thing and wondering if the Leafs wanted to leave the space to match any reasonable offer he might get without having to dump or LTIR someone?

We sign Robertson and then Hakanpaa? No idea. I am just saying there is something going on here based on Tee's recent comments.

 

[Dayjobdave]

Not related to the soft media stuff, but still on Hakanpaa...

Is there any chance the Leafs don't want to sign him officially until we get our RFAs locked up? I am watching the Edmonton/St Louis offer sheet deal thing and wondering if the Leafs wanted to leave the space to match any reasonable offer he might get without having to dump or LTIR someone?

We sign Robertson and then Hakanpaa? No idea. I am just saying there is something going on here based on Tee's recent comments.

This could be.

I think it’s possible that a deal is signed pending physical, and it is taking a long time to figure out if it’s going through, and it may be the team that isn’t sure.

I was excited to get this snarl on the back end, but I’m hopeful a Myers or Mattinen or Weber ends up being this year’s Benoit.

 

[conFABulator]

This could be.

I think it’s possible that a deal is signed pending physical, and it is taking a long time to figure out if it’s going through, and it may be the team that isn’t sure.

I was excited to get this snarl on the back end, but I’m hopeful a Myers or Mattinen or Weber ends up being this year’s Benoit.

I agree with all of that.

The other factor is timing. We don't need Hakanpaa until the TDL and playoffs. Let him be the guy we add without giving up assets. There could be something to how this gets structured.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/he-believes-he-can-play-on-his-knee-jani-hakanpaa-reportedly-wants-to-continue-career-amid-contract-situation-with-maple-leafs

 

[Dayjobdave]

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/he-believes-he-can-play-on-his-knee-jani-hakanpaa-reportedly-wants-to-continue-career-amid-contract-situation-with-maple-leafs

It’s like they come to these threads for content ideas

 

[Fogelhund]

Speaking on TSN's First Up with Aaron Korolnek and Carlo Colaiacovo on Tuesday, TSN's Chris Johnston provided an update on the situation.

“He didn't actually sign.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/he-didnt-actually-sign-maple-leafs-and-jani-hakanpaa-reportedly-at-odds-over-opinion-of-knee-injury-sustained-with-stars-last-season

 

[LegChairGM]

Really disappointed that he's not going to be a leaf.

 

[conFABulator]

Really disappointed that he's not going to be a leaf.

I think we already knew that he didn't sign. It was have been registered with the league and announced as a signing.

I think it was more along the lines of they "agreed to terms". I think there is more here than we know.

If he had signed, we would know it. If he had failed a physical and we were no longer interested, we would know it.

Instead we have Tre saying we are "still working things through". IMO we are either doing some cap gymnastics with injuries and waiting until after the season starts to sign him or something, or we are somehow using this space as some sort of protection against an offset sheet on Robertson. If we were too tight against the cap we might like more vulnerable, like Edmonton did.

 

[Albatros]

If he had failed a gender physical

That would be quite something.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Really disappointed that he's not going to be a leaf.

I heard CJ saying this morning that the longer this goes on so is the likelihood of him getting a contract with TOR. As of now I'm not counting on him. It's a shame.

 

[conFABulator]

That would be quite something.

Yes it would have been. That was an odd autocorrect, I guess I was typing my feelings about an Algerian boxer earlier and it thought it new how to finish my sentences this time. It didn't.

I edited the post.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

It sucks because he would have been a solid add but they do have 1.2 million in cap space now that will grow over the season, or they can use it to replace Robertson who seems to be intent on being an idiot.

There is a clear need at LW yet he chooses. Not to sign.

 

[JEI]

Leafs targeted this guy July 1st as a part of their starting defensive core. It's unfortunate that this situation has played out the way it has. While he doesn't take up a ton of cap space, you wonder what other moves could have been made.. surely the Leafs wouldn't have just stood by.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

In hindsight AND at the time this was a dumb signing.

What kills me is people excusing this by saying he had the right idea but wrong player. That’s a ridiculous sentiment to take. Basically what you’re arguing for is no objective measure of anything so long as it was well intended.

In that case my first marriage was a huge success too.

Once upon a time offseasons used to be full of excitement for me. Looking forward to all the supplemental signings used to be a real thing of the past. Fear best describes my feelings towards them now.

The only way to defend this is to create a ridiculously high standard and say Treliving didn't achieve it.

Like it's true Treliving hasn't crippled the franchise with this "signing". But first with Klingberg last year and now Hakanpaa this year. Not to mention the walking time bomb known as Tanev.

Just because Treliving hasn't completely tanked the team doesn't mean it still won't happen yet.

 

[conFABulator]

In hindsight AND at the time this was a dumb signing.

What kills me is people excusing this by saying he had the right idea but wrong player. That’s a ridiculous sentiment to take. Basically what you’re arguing for is no objective measure of anything so long as it was well intended.

In that case my first marriage was a huge success too.

Once upon a time offseasons used to be full of excitement for me. Looking forward to all the supplemental signings used to be a real thing of the past. Fear best describes my feelings towards them now.

The only way to defend this is to create a ridiculously high standard and say Treliving didn't achieve it.

Like it's true Treliving hasn't crippled the franchise with this "signing". But first with Klingberg last year and now Hakanpaa this year. Not to mention the walking time bomb known as Tanev.

Just because Treliving hasn't completely tanked the team doesn't mean it still won't happen yet.

What do you think happened exactly? Do you have more information that the rest of us? How can this be a dumb signing if it never was a signing. No signing, nothing registered with the NHL. I still think there is something at play here that allows us to potentially get him, have him rehab further and not be a cap burden for us before he comes back before the playoffs.

I don't know this. But we do know he wasn't signed and we do know Tre is saying that we aea still working it through.

Has player ever been injured, signed whole injured, and then put on LTIR before? There might be some manoeuvering required there. Also, I think it works to our advantage if we sign him the day after the season starts because we have to make a roster at the end of camp and no one is on LTIR until the season starts. Maybe it protects us a roster spot? Maybe it is tied to not wanting to sign him until we resolve Robertson. We don't want to be more exposed to an offer sheet by not having cap space (see Edmonton).

Lots of scenarios, but in none of them is he currently signed so this is not a dumb signing yet. Did we miss out on any $1.5M dmen that were going to crack our top six?

 

[rumman]

What do you think happened exactly? Do you have more information that the rest of us? How can this be a dumb signing if it never was a signing. No signing, nothing registered with the NHL. I still think there is something at play here that allows us to potentially get him, have him rehab further and not be a cap burden for us before he comes back before the playoffs.

I don't know this. But we do know he wasn't signed and we do know Tre is saying that we aea still working it through.

Has player ever been injured, signed whole injured, and then put on LTIR before? There might be some manoeuvering required there. Also, I think it works to our advantage if we sign him the day after the season starts because we have to make a roster at the end of camp and no one is on LTIR until the season starts. Maybe it protects us a roster spot? Maybe it is tied to not wanting to sign him until we resolve Robertson. We don't want to be more exposed to an offer sheet by not having cap space (see Edmonton).

Lots of scenarios, but in none of them is he currently signed so this is not a dumb signing yet. Did we miss out on any $1.5M dmen that were going to crack our top six?

I think a couple of phone calls by Steve Simmons proves Leaf management couldn’t vet or assess a player to save their lives. This organization is a gong show on a daily basis……..

 

[Fogelhund]

I think a couple of phone calls by Steve Simmons proves Leaf management couldn’t vet or assess a player to save their lives. This organization is a gong show on a daily basis……..

That's the bad part. How is it you signed a player, or tried to, without doing the proper diligence? It doesn't give you much confidence in other signings... or players they are trying to sign, such as Pacioretty. It's just not competent management.

 

[notbias]

That's the bad part. How is it you signed a player, or tried to, without doing the proper diligence? It doesn't give you much confidence in other signings... or players they are trying to sign, such as Pacioretty. It's just not competent management.

I think the current management group puts a lot of emphasis on a name, and less on the player.

Last year the Leafs signed all the biggest names, not the best players.

This year, it is a lot of the same, but at least there is some upside in most players.

The last two offseason have been the most predictable, by far, from the FA side of things.

 

[egd27]

Once upon a time offseasons used to be full of excitement for me. Looking forward to all the supplemental signings used to be a real thing of the past

Was this during the JFJ, Burke or Nonis years?

 

[conFABulator]

I think a couple of phone calls by Steve Simmons proves Leaf management couldn’t vet or assess a player to save their lives. This organization is a gong show on a daily basis……..

I am nowhere near the point where Simmons has more credibility than anyone in Leafs management.

Again, what do you think happened? Why was there no contract registered? It is not clear to me what you think happened. Doesn't it feel like a contract was never actually signed? What did management do wrong?

 

[rumman]

I am nowhere near the point where Simmons has more credibility than anyone in Leafs management.

Again, what do you think happened? Why was there no contract registered? It is not clear to me what you think happened. Doesn't it feel like a contract was never actually signed? What did management do wrong?

I think Simmons dug deeper into this injury than thd Leafs did, they probably put the brakes on when they read his article, or at the very least took a longer look at the mistake they were about to make…….

That's the bad part. How is it you signed a player, or tried to, without doing the proper diligence? It doesn't give you much confidence in other signings... or players they are trying to sign, such as Pacioretty. It's just not competent management.

Teminds me of ghe fax machine blunder that costs them the opportunity to sign a player, I can’t for the life of me remember which player, but just another example of the ineptitude of Leaf brass…….