The Maple Leafs have finally signed defenseman Jani Hakanpaa

As per NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs are signing free-agent defenseman Jani Hakanpaa.

Though reports indicated the Leafs agreed to terms with Jani Hakanpaa back in July, following the end of his deal with the Dallas Stars, an injury concern has held things up on an announcement. Though the paperwork is not complete, another insider, TSN's Chris Johnston, did report some positive news regarding the situation on "The Chris Johnston Show". He said it sounds like both the player and the team are happy about their near future together.

The Leafs did get in a number of moves during the off-season to shore up their D-core with multi-year deals for veteran blueliners Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. But an injury history has slowed down the process for the reported two-year, $3 million deal that Jani Hakanpaa signed, which PuckPedia said he agreed to on July 1, 2024. It appears that saga is now finally over and he's signed with the team for good.

Jani Hakanpaa seems ready for training camp, which would be a good omen regarding both his and the franchise's future. That said, the Leafs will likely take a cautious approach with Jani Hakanpaa upon his return to the lineup, with their sights set on having him fresh for the entire regular season and into the playoffs.

Source:
Darren Dreger on X