Insider reveals why Jani Hakanpaa's contract hasn't officially been announced
Jani Hakanpaa reportedly signed a two-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1st, but it has not been registered with the NHL yet for one specific reason.
The Leafs have not yet officially announced the signing of towering defenseman Jani Hakanpaa, even though it was reported as a done deal on July 1st.
Following the signing, Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos and The Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons revealed that the Dallas Stars did not want to re-sign the 6'7, 222-pound, hard-hitting defenseman because of a knee issue that had been bothering him and forced him out of action in March this past season.
While there are question marks surrounding his health, TSN's Chris Johnston noted on 'The SDPN' podcast yesterday that Treliving did speak about Hakanpaa in his media availability following the first day of free agency. Johnston also touched on the reason why the deal has not been officially announced yet.
Given that Hakanpaa already had surgery, the Leafs are likely checking on his recovery process and determining how far along he is and if he will be ready and able to play when the regular season begins in October.
In 64 games for the Stars last season, he compiled 12 points and 33 penalty minutes to go along with 123 blocked shots and 196 hits and is certainly the type of third-pairing defenseman the Leafs need.
Source for stats - Hockey DBJani Hakanpaa Player Profile
| POLL | ||
9 JUILLET | 654 ANSWERS Insider reveals why Jani Hakanpaa's contract hasn't officially been announced Will Hakanpaa play for the Maple Leafs this season? | ||
| Yes | 320 | 48.9 % |
| No | 158 | 24.2 % |
| Not sure | 176 | 26.9 % |
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