Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign defenceman Jani Hakanpää (1 year, $1.47M) (official)

[Martin Skoula]

I got news for ya. The 4th line (other than Lorentz) is already pretty useless. Dewar is this year's version of Riley Sheahan, Kampf, while a good faceoff and PK guy, is also a black hole offensively, although he's starting to come around a bit. Still way overpaid. And their replacements (Holmberg, Reaves) are even worse. But that's where we're at. I realize it's hard to create a really useful 4th line, ala Czekas, Martin, and Clutterbuck. But there has to be SOME production.

Martin clutterbuck Cizikas were making a combined 8.5 mil at their peak, that’s more than most contenders spend on their entire bottom 6 combined.

Luotsurainen, Lundell, Cousins, Lorentz, Lomberg, Stenlund cost Florida under 8mil combined last year.

 

[arso40]

I disagree that we are playing worse defensemen now when you consider the price versus impact. He made too much for what he brought to the lineup

He’s currently on pace for LESS points in SJ this year than with the leafs last year

He’s also playing for SJ n not the leafs

 

[Stephen]

Yeah, Tre signed Lily so it didn't go to arbitration where the price point would have been higher, which eventually made him more attractive as a trade chip.

Depending on how much you value the picks we got back for Liljegren, an acceptable alternative solution would have been to let him go, and spend his salary combined with Hakanpaa for either a defenseman or something else completely up front.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Depending on how much you value the picks we got back for Liljegren, an acceptable alternative solution would have been to let him go, and spend his salary combined with Hakanpaa for either a defenseman or something else completely up front.

A non-tender to Liljegren....not signing Hakanpaa or OEL and going for Roy...

McCabe-Tanev
Rielly-Roy
Benoit-Myers
Rifai

I'd probably be inclined to upgrade on Benoit still but it's interesting.

 

[Stephen]

A non-tender to Liljegren....not signing Hakanpaa or OEL and going for Roy...

McCabe-Tanev
Rielly-Roy
Benoit-Myers
Rifai

I'd probably be inclined to upgrade on Benoit still but it's interesting.

Something like that, though I don’t mind OEL at all.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Something like that, though I don’t mind OEL at all.

I like OEL just fine, but he probably needs to get bumped to a 3rd pairing role.

McCabe-Tanev
X-X
OEL-Myers
Rifai

Benoit more than anything would get bumped out because spending 1.35M on your #7 versus a 775k isn't ideal.

Rielly is just someone that doesn't fit going forward but I know this isn't the Rielly thread.

I really wish Hakanpaa worked out but Myers working out the way he has off-set it pretty well.

 

[LeafEgo]

Depending on how much you value the picks we got back for Liljegren, an acceptable alternative solution would have been to let him go, and spend his salary combined with Hakanpaa for either a defenseman or something else completely up front.

Ultimately that would have been best if it opened up a path to a player like Roy - not sure what was available.

I suspect at the time Tre signed the contract he attached some value to holding the option to keep Lilly in the program (still working with Keefe notes). Berube writing him off as suddenly and thoroughly as he did suprised me at least, even though I thought his time was done here.

So he pulled the exit option and got a little extra for the asset by avoiding arbitration. Just a bit of fallout from the coaching staff changes.

 

[Dekes For Days]

I am not a big fan of these posts that are centered around the poster could have signed the player for less than the GM and staff did.

Where were you the last 6 years? I'm not an NHL GM but some probably could have got a better deal. I haven't ever seen any real justification for 3m. We also could have taken him to arbitration, which probably would have been cheaper. We could have traded him in the offseason and used his money and Hakanpaa's money for a bigger fish. We could have not signed Hakanpaa and kept Liljegren for the season instead of now having neither and playing worse defensemen.