Concern growing in Toronto over latest report involving the Maple Leafs and Jani Hakanpaa
TSN's Chris Johnston has provided a rather unsettling report regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs and UFA defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.
On the first day of free agency, Leafs General Manager Brad Treliving addressed the team's need for new defensemen immediately, signing Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and, reportedly, Jani Hakanpaa. Things started quite well.
As summer has continued, Hakanpaa still isn't a Maple Leaf. This stems from a knee injury he sustained while playing for the Dallas Stars in March. The Leafs' medical staff were originally believed to be quite confident in Hakanpaa making a full recovery. Here we are in late August and according to hockey insider Chris Johnston, things aren't looking good.
That's certainly how it looks right now. The Leafs were drawn to Hakanpaa because he's a big, nasty, right shot defenseman who can throw hits, block shots and be an asset on the penalty kill. They've needed that for awhile and Hakanpaa's cap hit was expected to be only two years at $1.5 million per season. Unless he really can't play anymore, what's the hold up?
While the situation could change in a moment, it's looking more likely by the day that Hakanpaa will not be a Leaf, in which case, the Maple Leafs' search for help on the blueline will continue. The only question is, where will the Leafs turn next with mostly all of the reputable UFA defensemen having signed elsewhere?
Source: Chris JohnstonChris Johnston interview
Source: HockeyDBHakanpaa career stats
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28 AOUT | 580 ANSWERS Concern growing in Toronto over latest report involving the Maple Leafs and Jani Hakanpaa What should the Leafs do if Hakanpaa can't play? | ||
| Trade for another player | 177 | 30.5 % |
| Sign a free agent | 120 | 20.7 % |
| Promote Conor Timmins | 176 | 30.3 % |
| Move McCabe to the right side | 107 | 18.4 % |
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