• For users coming over from tmlfans.ca your username will remain the same but you will need to use the password reset feature (check your spam folder) on the login page in order to set your password. If you encounter issues, email Rick couchmanrick@gmail.com

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

  • Thread starter Thread starter cw
  • Start date Start date
The surgery thing may explain why he came so cheap, relatively to other similar defencemen like Edmundson and Lyubushkin. But I'm still pretty skeptical of the "may never play again" claims, especially coming from just Simmons right now. In the playoffs he had resumed skating and was practicing with Dallas for a little bit, he just wasn't fully cleared to return prior to their elimination. Who know is he would have been or not, but the language that was being used about him at the time certainly didn't seem like he would never be playing again.
 
Irrespective of the actual diagnosis, I do need the team to seriously follow through on load management for the regular season.

Full tandem goalie schedule. Rotate pretty much all the defensemen. Curtail the TOI for the big guns. Get more of the youth engaged and ready to step in and up.

The floor of this team makes the playoffs. While it would be nice to gun for first in the division, I would rather head into the playoffs healthy, relatively rested for the grind, and clicking along.
 
I think part of the issue is the difference between not being healthy enough to be able to play again - which doesn?t appear to be the case - and not being healthy enough to be effective enough to play in the league - which is still TBD.
 
This signing makes the OEL-style player a better fit. We have a decent mix of offensive and defensive guys now.
 
herman said:
Irrespective of the actual diagnosis, I do need the team to seriously follow through on load management for the regular season.

Full tandem goalie schedule. Rotate pretty much all the defensemen. Curtail the TOI for the big guns. Get more of the youth engaged and ready to step in and up.

The floor of this team makes the playoffs. While it would be nice to gun for first in the division, I would rather head into the playoffs healthy, relatively rested for the grind, and clicking along.
Click to expand...

Have you forwarded your expectations to senior management? :)
 
https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/roster
Tanev, OEL, Stolarz & even Mermis added today are on the roster.
Hakanp?? isn't.

Pending a medical?
 
cw said:
https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/roster
Tanev, OEL, Stolarz & even Mermis added today are on the roster.
Hakanp?? isn't.

Pending a medical?
Click to expand...
If it is bone on bone then the only real treatment is platelet therapy and not sure if that is enough to play pro sports
 
cw said:
https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/roster
Tanev, OEL, Stolarz & even Mermis added today are on the roster.
Hakanp?? isn't.

Pending a medical?
Click to expand...

Seems likely, considering everything we?ve heard.
 
bustaheims said:
cw said:
https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs/roster
Tanev, OEL, Stolarz & even Mermis added today are on the roster.
Hakanp?? isn't.

Pending a medical?
Click to expand...


Seems likely, considering everything we?ve heard.
Click to expand...

They tweeted all the other signings but not Hakanp??
https://x.com/MapleLeafs
Same for press releases.

Even the three added today got something in print
https://x.com/MapleLeafs/status/1808262332180570573

I can't find any evidence the Leafs said that they signed Hakanp?? officially in print.

Treliving did mention Hakanp?? in his July 1 press conference. That's it.

So there is something unusual going on.

Kyper & Co discuss it:
https://x.com/FAN590/status/1808225045233168570
 
Joe said:
Is it sad that the only reason this would upset me is because that would mean Simmons was right?
Click to expand...

1. We don't know that he was right about the medical yet.
2. It appears he was wrong in the way he painted it. Because it appears the Leafs are doing the medical due diligence and were on that path yesterday (before today's article). They didn't announce the deal formally via press release, twitter nor add him to their roster like they have for everyone else they signed - most of them were done yesterday. They still haven't.

If you sign a contract conditional that the player pass a medical when the player or representative maintain that they will during the heat of free agency and the player fails his medical (falls short of his assurance of his medical condition), the contract is null and void. Or there's a prognosis of recovery they can live with. Contrary to Simmons, I don't see much wrong with that.
 
cw said:
They tweeted all the other signings but not Hakanp??
https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs
Same for press releases.
Click to expand...

Still nothing from the Leafs. No tweets, press release, or additions of his name to the teams roster online. Everyone else signed, including the minor leaguers, got all 3. Certainly a little odd, and might point to Simmons' sources being onto something.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
cw said:
They tweeted all the other signings but not Hakanp??
https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs
Same for press releases.
Click to expand...

Still nothing from the Leafs. No tweets, press release, or additions of his name to the teams roster online. Everyone else signed, including the minor leaguers, got all 3. Certainly a little odd, and might point to Simmons' sources being onto something.
Click to expand...

The other press releases, etc were done July 1.
Simmons article came the next day.
Something was going on here with the Leafs & Hakanpaa before Simmons article.

https://x.com/simmonssteve/status/1808262279193833834

https://x.com/simmonssteve/status/1808262608534802892

With his injury, it was highly probable that it was contingent on a medical.
There's only so much the doctors can conclude from the reports.
It might be a novel concept for Simmons brain but it's not a bad idea for the Leafs doctor to check out and talk with the patient before concluding too much on a prognosis made many weeks or months ago by others thousands of miles away on a patient he's never seen.

The player and agent had to have given some assurances for the deal to proceed. The team appears to be exercising their duty and right to verify those assurances which can't be done over the phone.
Doctors and medical tests might be involved. It will take time. Under the circumstances, a lot of the right things seem to be happening here.
 
Anyone shocked the Leafs would sign him is just dumb. They have ample money and no doubt there is a clause where if his career is over the contact is void.
 
The only surgery report previously was from the Dallas side saying he had an arthroscopic procedure, which implies just cleaning and refacing the cartilage. That procedure may have found the issues Simmons' sources reported.

A bone-on-bone knee situation sounds like what happened to Gabriel Landeskog, who was out last season with a cartilage replacement surgery/recovery.
 
Bill_Berg said:
If Hakanpaa can't go, Schmidt and Shultz are out there. Sounds like a law firm.
Click to expand...

Schmidt got signed by the Panthers on a 1-year, $800k deal. So we'll probably be signing him for 4x that next year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top