The Toronto Maple Leafs made a flurry of signings on the opening day of free agency, including the decision to bring in Jani Hakanpaa on a two-year $3 million contract with an average annual value of $1.5 million. To some, it was a slight overpay, though adding a physical defenceman with a 6-foot-6 stature was something few were complaining about.
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Now, a month past the deal reportedly being signed, the Maple Leafs have yet to officially announce it. General manager Brad Treliving hasn’t offered up an answer as to why, though a report from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun suggested that a knee injury may prevent Hakanpaa from ever playing again (from ‘Steve Simmons: Maple Leafs signings – The good, the bad, and the ugly,’ Toronto Sun, 7/1/24).
Since Simmons’ report, fans have grown increasingly skeptical about whether the deal between the Maple Leafs and Hakanpaa has gone through. As each day passes, it seems more likely that his report was accurate, and a new photo that has surfaced of the 32-year-old casts even more doubt over his future with the Maple Leafs.
Hakanpaa Spotted Wearing Stars Jersey
Over this past weekend, Hakanpaa, who spent the past two seasons with the Dallas Stars, attended an All-Star Charity Golf Tournament in Oulu, Finland. Now, from the sounds of that, you may be thinking it’s a good sign that he’s healthy. Unfortunately, that’s not at all where we are going with this.
Hakanpaa didn’t play in the tournament. Instead, he was there taking photos and signing autographs for fans. That’s where this entire story, and his future with the Maple Leafs, takes a big turn and becomes very, very confusing.
Fans noticed that in the pictures that surfaced, Hakanpaa was wearing a Stars jersey, rather than a Maple Leafs one. That would be a very strange move for an NHL player to make, and seems to suggest to most that, at the very least, his contract is not yet official for the 2024-25 season.
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Shortly after the photo had surfaced, David Alter of The Hockey News wrote on X that he reached out to Hakanpaa’s camp regarding the defenceman’s future last week, but never received any sort of answer. It certainly seems as though some things are going on behind the scenes given how quiet both the Maple Leafs and Hakanpaa are being about this entire situation.
Maple Leafs Have Internal Options for Replacement
Ideally, Hakanpaa would be healthy and good to go for the Maple Leafs right from the get-go in 2024-25. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like much of a possibility at this point, though that doesn’t mean it’s time for the fan base to panic.
The Maple Leafs have several other options on the back end that can fill in as replacements, albeit as different styles of players. Guys like Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jake McCabe are expected to be in the lineup each and every night. Timothy Liljegen is still a bit of a question mark, though this could be the season he really finds his stride.
If Hakanpaa were good to go, Simon Benoit would likely have been viewed as the Maple Leafs’ seventh defenceman, but he has proven capable of playing a bottom-pairing role. They also have Conor Timmins who, if he could ever stay healthy, seems to have legitimate NHL talent. Philippe Myers, who has over 150 games of NHL experience, was also signed this summer as a depth option.
The bottom line is that regardless of Hakanpaa’s health, the Maple Leafs blue line will be okay. While getting some clarity on his playing future would certainly help put ease to what has been a ton of speculation, it’s clear the player and team aren’t willing to do that at this time. Perhaps we won’t get an answer until training camp opens in September.
