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Hakanpaa actually signs with the Leafs [1 year, $1.47mil AAV]

  • Thread starter Thread starter cw
  • Start date Start date
Ok, what the heck...I like this a lot.

Having a hard time envisioning the lineup right now (in a good way).

Rielly - Tanev seems likely
McCabe - Hakenpaa seems like a really interesting defensive pairing.
OEL - Liljegren is an interesting balance pairing
Benoit - Timmins - Benoit was really good for us.  Timmins never seemed to get off the ground but looked like he was taking a step in preseason until his injury.

If Benoit plays over Liljegren (trade or injury) that's still a defense that is really questionable in terms of offensive play. 

Injuries to Woll or our top 4 defensemen could easily derail the season but our defense looks really solid right now.

Our forward depth isn't terrible but could use some work at 3C and depth scoring still...although I'm sure the team wants to give Cowan a chance to make the team.
 
I get you need 7 (if not 8, 9, 10 D) but I'd still be surprised if Benoit got pushed down to 7D on the depth chart. He deserves to be an everyday guy. Guess we'll see how everything shakes out.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I get you need 7 (if not 8, 9, 10 D) but I'd still be surprised if Benoit got pushed down to 7D on the depth chart. He deserves to be an everyday guy. Guess we'll see how everything shakes out.
Click to expand...
He's not better then the other 6 right now. Everyone plays the proper side.
Rielly Tanev
OEL McCabe
Hakanpaa Liljegren
 
Guilt Trip said:
CarltonTheBear said:
I get you need 7 (if not 8, 9, 10 D) but I'd still be surprised if Benoit got pushed down to 7D on the depth chart. He deserves to be an everyday guy. Guess we'll see how everything shakes out.
Click to expand...
He's not better then the other 6 right now. Everyone plays the proper side.
Rielly Tanev
OEL McCabe
Hakanpaa Liljegren
Click to expand...

Gotta flip OEL (L) and Hakanpaa (R) to match handedness

We have 4 of each at the moment.
 
herman said:
Guilt Trip said:
CarltonTheBear said:
I get you need 7 (if not 8, 9, 10 D) but I'd still be surprised if Benoit got pushed down to 7D on the depth chart. He deserves to be an everyday guy. Guess we'll see how everything shakes out.
Click to expand...
He's not better then the other 6 right now. Everyone plays the proper side.
Rielly Tanev
OEL McCabe
Hakanpaa Liljegren
Click to expand...

Gotta flip OEL (L) and Hakanpaa (R) to match handedness

We have 4 of each at the moment.
Click to expand...
Yeah I messed that up lol.  So used to Caber playing in the right. 2nd and 3rd pairing TBD.
Rielly Tanev
McCabe Liljegren
OEL Hakanpaa
Benoit Timmins
 
Before we proceed, let me remind you that it's Hakenp??, not Hakenpaa.  Hence his "Four Dots" nickname.

Respect the Suomalainen!
 
Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate said:
Before we proceed, let me remind you that it's Hakenp??, not Hakenpaa.  Hence his "Four Dots" nickname.

Respect the Suomalainen!
Click to expand...

You can't stop me from calling him Hockey Puck
 
Things happen for a reason.

Damaged goods?
FOX Sports: Hakanpaa Porfile
Recovering from knee injury
Hakanpaa's lower-body injury is a knee issue that required an arthroscopic procedure, Mike Heika of the Stars' official site reports Friday.
Impact Hakanpaa didn't play past March 16 because of the injury. He had two goals, 12 points, 33 PIM, 196 hits and 123 blocks in 64 regular-season outings in 2023-24. Although there isn't a specific timetable for Hakanpaa's recovery, he's not expected to need further knee procedures.
Click to expand...

He was listed at day-to-day throughout the playoffs but did not practice and never returned.

Steve Simmons take (which is not always reliable because its Steve Simmons):
Toronto Sun: SIMMONS: Maple Leafs signings ? The good, the bad and the ugly
The signing of Jani Hakanpaa, who at one time would have helped the club, is one of those you might shake your head at.

That?s what happens sometimes during the annual free-agent frenzy. You make one deal and it?s great. You make another and it leaves some reason for doubt.
The betting here is that Tanev will help transform the Leafs the way he did the Dallas Stars in his few months in Texas. The Stars went 15-4 with Tanev on their defence. That?s a 128-point pace. Then they went three rounds in the playoffs, and probably should have gone four had the forwards not stopped scoring.

They wanted to keep Tanev in Dallas and they speak about him rather sadly now as he leaves for the Leafs. They just couldn?t find the money, the years and the will to make a deal with the defenceman they so badly wanted to keep.

It wasn?t that way with Hakanpaa, who signed with Toronto on Canada Day, as well. A year ago, maybe two years ago, Hakanpaa would have factored rather nicely on the Leafs defence. He?s a giant of a man at 6-foot-7, popular in the room, that great hockey vernacular, and a penalty-killer beyond compare. But one with a knee so bad that some think ? although the Leafs disagree ? that he may never play again.

The Leafs signed him to play but many doubt he will. It?s said to be bone-on-bone with not much knee left. It?s said to be trouble. Two years ago, Hakanpaa was playing 18 minutes for the Stars. He might have played his last NHL game in March. If he plays again, plays at all for the Leafs, it will shock those who were around in recent seasons.
Click to expand...

Klingberg II ?

He played 80 regular season games in 2021-22, 82 regular season games in 2022-23 and 64 regular season games in 2023-24.
During the playoffs in 2022-23, he missed the last 4 games with a knee injury.
They thought he would have a surgical procedure.
After many pictures and medical reviews, they decided against surgery.
He came into to camp for 2023-24 and declared himself 100%
He played 64 games until he went down with the knee injury.
He had an arthroscopic procedure and they said he did not need anything further.

In summary, he missed 4 playoff games with his knee injury and then suddenly, 64 games later, his career is over?
Seems quick to me for something that appears to have been gradual wear ...
 
cw said:
In summary, he missed 4 playoff games with his knee injury and then suddenly, 64 games later, his career is over?
Seems quick to me for something that appears to have been gradual wear ...
Click to expand...

For a players whose mobility is far from his strength, a serious knee injury could definitely put his career in jeopardy. Hopefully, not the case. As much as I?m not high on him, now that he?s part of the blue and white, I obviously want the best for him. I do suspect these issues could relegate him to a mostly #7 type role.
 
3:46 PM ? Jul 1, 2024
That's the time of Dreger's tweet announcing the signing.

In less than 3 hrs and 46 mins (probably much less than that because they were busy with other UFAs like OEL), the Leafs doctors received and reviewed Hakanpaa's medical file (there were multiple reports and images) on his knee and then Leafs management haggled a deal?
That's pretty quick.

The few missed games prior, the reports of no further procedure required after his arthroscopic procedure and that he was day-to-day after that had me fooled.
 
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