Toronto Maple Leafs sign Jani Hakanpaa to one-year, $1.47 million contract

Another long and drawn-out saga has ended in Leaf Land. On Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs officially signed defenseman Jani Hakanpää to a one-year contract. The deal will carry a cap hit of $1.47 million for the 2024-25 season.

This was the Maple Leafs’ second attempt at signing the 32-year-old. On July 1, Toronto reportedly signed Hakanpää to a two-year contract with an AAV of $1.5 million. However, the contract was never officially registered with the NHL.

The Leafs’ alleged hurdle in completing this deal was Hakanpää’s health. The Finnish defenseman suffered a lower-body injury late in the 2023-24 regular season with the Dallas Stars and was unable to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs while he recovered. The Stars were ultimately eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final.

In 64 games last year, Hakanpää scored two goals and 12 points, averaging 18:38 of ice time per game.

Chris Johnston of The Athletic recently reported that Hakanpää suffered a knee injury last season. It has not been disclosed whether the former St. Louis Blues prospect has fully recovered from the ailment, but it has been said that Hakanpää believes he can play on his knee.

Hakanpää joins a Leafs team that has seen a healthy dose of veteran talent arrive on the scene. His former teammate, Chris Tanev, was acquired via trade earlier this summer, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson also being signed once free agency opened. They join Morgan Rielly and Timothy Liljegren as key parts of a hopefully improved D-corps.

The 6-foot-7 defender’s contract fits right under the salary cap. With 45 of a possible 50 contracts signed, Toronto has only $30,333 in cap space, according to CapWages. That might make things tough for another player expected to join the Leafs. Veteran winger Max Pacioretty signed a professional tryout agreement with the team, with the expectation that he is going to sign a one-year contract at the end of training camp. This puts general manager Brad Treliving in a spot where he might have to offload some money to fit Pacioretty into the fold.

In six seasons in the NHL, where he has also made stops with the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes, Hakanpää has appeared in 288 games, scoring 15 goals and 30 assists. In averaging 18:02 of ice time in his career, he has also registered a plus/minus of +34. Hakanpää has made 33 playoff appearances, posting four points and a -5 rating.