Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign D Jani Hakanpaa (2 years, $1.5M AAV) [in progress; medical delay?]

[ULF_55]

You guys convinced me.

Giving out two year deals with a $1.5M AAV to a bottom pairing (some say 7th) defenseman who may never play again is a great idea. Can you imagine how much Treliving would have given this guy if he was healthy. I'm surprised no other GM's are taking advantage of this market inefficiency.

This is the type of progressive innovation the Leafs are famous for.

What do you believe is the impact of this signing?

There must be something that is causing you concern.

 

[Mess]

You guys convinced me.

Giving out two year deals with a $1.5M AAV to a bottom pairing (some say 7th) defenseman who may never play again is a great idea. Can you imagine how much Treliving would have given this guy if he was healthy. I'm surprised no other GM's are taking advantage of this market inefficiency.

This is the type of progressive innovation the Leafs are famous for.

FYI .. July 05, 2024 (NHL.com) just last week Finland announced Jani Hakanpää, would be a projected member Dcore for the upcoming 4 Nations tournament (making him among Fins best Dman)

Finland projected roster for 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off

The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off will be held from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, with teams of NHL players from Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States competing in a round-robin tournament. This will be the first best-on-best tournament since the World Cup of Hockey 2016 in Toronto.

Defensemen (8)​

Jani Hakanpää, Toronto Maple Leafs *
Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars*
Henri Jokiharju, Buffalo Sabres
Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars*
Olli Maatta, Detroit Red Wings
Niko Mikkola, Florida Panthers
Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers
Juuso Valimaki, Utah Hockey Club

I’ll go back to what I wrote about three of these defensemen earlier this year. Hakanpaa, Heiskanen and Lindell have chemistry and familiarity. Mikkola is coming off a Stanley Cup championship with the Panthers.

 

[Sypher04]

You guys convinced me.

Giving out two year deals with a $1.5M AAV to a bottom pairing (some say 7th) defenseman who may never play again is a great idea. Can you imagine how much Treliving would have given this guy if he was healthy. I'm surprised no other GM's are taking advantage of this market inefficiency.

This is the type of progressive innovation the Leafs are famous for.

1) The Leafs would not have signed him if they believed his status to be that questionable.
2)If he never plays again, he goes on LTIR, so who cares?

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Aaahhhh, I'm under attack.

You win, you win, you win. It was a great idea and I'm a huge dummy for thinking signing injured players was a bad idea. I literally give up and just hope Hapankaa can be as good as Benoit.

If all this guy does is punch someone in the face I'll like him better than half the guys on the team.

 

[Gilmour1996]

Kevin Cheveldayoff: "You can have McGroarty for Robertson and a pick but we also need you to send some cap space back." "Can we work out a deal?"

Tre: "Would you be willing to wait until September until we figure out what we're doing with Hakanpaa?" "I also have to run it by Shanny and he's in NYC hobnobbing with Gary and not answering my calls."

Kevin Cheveldayoff: "Can't wait that long for you guys to make up your mind!" "Have a good summer".

 

[ACC1224]

Man, so much crying just for the sake of crying.

Theme of the summer.

 

[Mess]

I'm sure both team and player are okay with the situation.

Hakanpaa will play if healthy and it will be with Leafs.

If he isn't healthy, and is done it's done.

This is similar to buying a house subject to a building inspection.

If the inspection passes you have your new property, or if it doesn't you either let the issue be resolved or you walk away.

There is really no risk here at all only a commitment on both sides to complete this transaction. .

 

[Mess]

Kevin Cheveldayoff: "You can have McGroarty for Robertson and a pick but we also need you to send some cap space back." "Can we work out a deal?"

Tre: "Would you be willing to wait until September until we figure out what we're doing with Hakanpaa?" "I also have to run it by Shanny and he's in NYC hobnobbing with Gary and not answering my calls."

Kevin Cheveldayoff: "Can't wait that long for you guys to make up your mind!" "Have a good summer".

McGroaty on a rookie ELC contract < $1 mil would be cheaper than perhaps RFA Nikky Bobby on his 2nd deal (previous deal cap hit $797K), so there is no cap space nor roster issue, nor contract max #, in a this type of 1 for 1 trade that would have anything to do with any other Leaf player to complete today.

What cap space would you be referring to?

 

[Namikaze Minato]

Kevin Cheveldayoff: "You can have McGroarty for Robertson and a pick but we also need you to send some cap space back." "Can we work out a deal?"

Tre: "Would you be willing to wait until September until we figure out what we're doing with Hakanpaa?" "I also have to run it by Shanny and he's in NYC hobnobbing with Gary and not answering my calls."

Kevin Cheveldayoff: "Can't wait that long for you guys to make up your mind!" "Have a good summer".

Are you aware that teams can go over the cap in the summer? I bet you Tre is aware of it and this 1.5 million dollars isnt going to disrupt any potential deals.

But you know, you keep making up fantasy situations in which Toronto is getting screwed by a contract they havent even officially signed.

 

[thewave]

This is similar to buying a house subject to a building inspection.

If the inspection passes you have your new property, or if it doesn't you either let the issue be resolved or you walk away.

There is really no risk here at all only a commitment on both sides to complete this transaction. .

Nobody has seen Hakanapaa since forever. It is a missing persons case now.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Kevin Cheveldayoff: "You can have McGroarty for Robertson and a pick but we also need you to send some cap space back." "Can we work out a deal?"

Tre: "Would you be willing to wait until September until we figure out what we're doing with Hakanpaa?" "I also have to run it by Shanny and he's in NYC hobnobbing with Gary and not answering my calls."

Kevin Cheveldayoff: "Can't wait that long for you guys to make up your mind!" "Have a good summer".

Why would he have to run it buy Shanny Shanny if he were in NYC hobnobbing with Gary and not answering his calls?

 

[Gilmour1996]

McGroaty on a rookie ELC contract < $1 mil would be cheaper than perhaps RFA Nikky Bobby on his 2nd deal (previous deal cap hit $797K), so there is no cap space nor roster issue, nor contract max #, in a this type of 1 for 1 trade that would have anything to do with any other Leaf player to complete today.

What cap space would you be referring to?

Not considering it as a 1 for 1 trade. In this example, TO also sends another player to Winnipeg but Winnipeg also dumps us another player with a much higher cap hit. We will (eventually) have to have the cap space or make moves to accommodate the difference (or just say no now)

Why would he have to run it buy Shanny Shanny if he were in NYC hobnobbing with Gary and not answering his calls?

I'm willing to bet that Shanny wants ALL trades to be approved by him before becoming official.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Not considering it as a 1 for 1 trade. In this example, TO also sends another player to Winnipeg but Winnipeg also dumps us another player with a much higher cap hit. We will (eventually) have to have the cap space or make moves to accommodate the difference (or just say no now)


I'm willing to bet that Shanny wants ALL trades to be approved by him before becoming official.

Ok, you can bet on anything you want.

 

[NJG]

He's a better player than Hakanpaa so yes I will pencil him in for now. Needs to play as he did before his injury last year.

That's a dumb take if I ever heard one... They are both completely different players with completely different games... So you can't compare them, whoever is better just comes down to what you need more.

 

[Sypher04]

I love how we always just pencil in Lil, the guy who three playoffs in a row has lost his spot. Ringer.

People need to stop acting like Liljegren being replaced with Brodie for 1 game of the series vs Boston is remotely relevant. That had more to do with game 1 being bad (for the team) and misguided notion of owing Brodie a chance as a vet to come in. The fact they immediately went back to Liljegren in game 3 despite winning game 2 tells you what you should be taking away.

 

[Mess]

On July 1st, TSN's Chris Johnston reported that the Leafs were signing 6'7 bruising defenseman Jani Hakanpaa to a two-year deal worth $1.5M per season. As the Leafs' other signings (Anthony Stolarz, Max Domi and Chris Tanev) were announced by the club's official 'X' account, fans noticed that Hakanpaa's reported deal wasn't announced, which meant that it was not finalized.

The following day, Steve Simmons of 'The Toronto Sun' revealed that there was a concern about a knee injury that prevented the Dallas Stars from re-signing the veteran blueliner. Hakanpaa underwent surgery late last season, but reports from Simmons indicated that even with the surgery Hakanpaa may not be able to play again.

Initially, the Leafs did not seem deterred from the medical reports from Dallas, but last week, Johnston revealed on the 'SDPN' podcast that the contract won't be officially announced until Hakanpaa passes a physical/medical with the Leafs.

Given that he has been rehabbing his surgically repaired knee, the Leafs are likely giving him time to complete more extensive rehab and pass his physical so that they can announce his signing officially.​

 

[stickty111]

I think they would have let him walk and spend the caphit in free agency on other D men if that was the plan. Or would have traded his rights. I don't seem them locking a guy into a multi year deal that they're borderline being done with.

Personally, I had assumed he was heading out the door, but imo I think management has had a change of heart on the guy based on their actions

Honestly I think they are still 50 50 on him, but they still value him enough to sign him and see if he can lock in his potential with a new coach. He needs to stay healthy. Whenever he starts getting traction as a top 4 guy, he gets hurt.

People need to stop acting like Liljegren being replaced with Brodie for 1 game of the series vs Boston is remotely relevant. That had more to do with game 1 being bad (for the team) and misguided notion of owing Brodie a chance as a vet to come in. The fact they immediately went back to Liljegren in game 3 despite winning game 2 tells you what you should be taking away.

Pretty much.

 

[Namikaze Minato]

That's a dumb take if I ever heard one... They are both completely different players with completely different games... So you can't compare them, whoever is better just comes down to what you need more.

So you cant compare who's better, Auston Matthews or Ryan Reeves, because they are both completely different players with different games?

Like, the f*** are you even talking about? You're also allowed to compare two completely different things to each other. Like apples and Xbox controllers or Sports cars and modern medicine.

The idea that you cant compare two different things is frankly moronic.

 

[Dekes For Days]

People need to stop acting like Liljegren being replaced with Brodie for 1 game of the series vs Boston is remotely relevant. That had more to do with game 1 being bad (for the team) and misguided notion of owing Brodie a chance as a vet to come in. The fact they immediately went back to Liljegren in game 3 despite winning game 2 tells you what you should be taking away.

I've cheered Liljegren on every step, but we also need to stop acting like going back to him was a statement on his performance. He did not have a good series. The takeaway is that we were that desperate for some transition ability from the back end.

 

[DarkKnight]

People need to stop acting like Liljegren being replaced with Brodie for 1 game of the series vs Boston is remotely relevant. That had more to do with game 1 being bad (for the team) and misguided notion of owing Brodie a chance as a vet to come in. The fact they immediately went back to Liljegren in game 3 despite winning game 2 tells you what you should be taking away.

Lil was awful that series, the Bruins owned him, that’s why he was the one to come out. Seems pretty obvious. Yes Brodie sucks, and Lil was the only option, what a rousing endorsement. He also played the least minutes game 6 and 7, because he was the worst, note how his ice time decreased as the series progressed.

 

[jaric1862]

If he comes back and is anywhere close to the form that he was pre-surgery, this is a fantastic deal. The luxury of having Liljergren, is Hakanpaa can take the time to rehab and ease into game action.

 

[Stephen]

I think they would have let him walk and spend the caphit in free agency on other D men if that was the plan. Or would have traded his rights. I don't seem them locking a guy into a multi year deal that they're borderline being done with.

Personally, I had assumed he was heading out the door, but imo I think management has had a change of heart on the guy based on their actions

They probably could have let him walk and just have gone full throttle after Roy with the cap flexibility. Get your guy and just chalk it up to a Lily for Roy trade.

 

[Stephen]

So you cant compare who's better, Auston Matthews or Ryan Reeves, because they are both completely different players with different games?

Like, the f*** are you even talking about? You're also allowed to compare two completely different things to each other. Like apples and Xbox controllers or Sports cars and modern medicine.

The idea that you cant compare two different things is frankly moronic.

Lily and Hakanpaa are not equivalent to Matthews vs Reaves. It’s probably more like an untapped underachiever like Kapanen vs a Kampf or something more utilitarian.

 

[Fogelhund]

It's been over two weeks since he was allegedly signed, and crickets from any of the "major" insiders or the team. Strange situation.

 

[Namikaze Minato]

Lily and Hakanpaa are not equivalent to Matthews vs Reaves. It’s probably more like an untapped underachiever like Kapanen vs a Kampf or something more utilitarian.

Sweet steve, never said they were buddy.