Just In: Insider talks about injury of Leaf’s newly signed player and how it can become a threat to his career

A two-year contract with a yearly salary of $1.5 million was reportedly inked by defenseman Jani Hakanpaa with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs have failed to formally disclose the agreement, despite multiple insiders confirming it. The reason behind this is that Hakanapaa is coping with a significant injury, according to Steve Simmons, an NHL insider and reporter for the Toronto Sun.

Rumor has it that his knee is bone on bone. Regarding this, I consulted the Leafs. They said that his medical professionals gave him the all-clear. According to Simmons’s report on X, the team will learn his playing status in the autumn or at a later date. Hakanpaa missed the final game of the previous season on March 16 due to a knee injury. Regardless, as soon as free agency began on July 1, Toronto signed Hakanpaa to a two-year contract.

Hakanpaa Was Thought to Never Play Again by Several NHL Teams
Simmons expressed his astonishment in a column he wrote for the Toronto Sun following Hakanpaa’s two-year agreement with the Maple Leafs. Simmons claimed that NHL club insiders informed him that Hakanpaa would be benched for the rest of the season.

Even with Hakanpaa, who inked a deal with Toronto on Canada Day, things weren’t that simple. If we were talking about the Leafs’ defense a year or two ago, Hakanpaa would have been a major player. Standing at a towering 6-foot-7, he is a beloved member of the room, a master of the hockey lingo, and an unmatched penalty-killer. “However, he may never play again due to a knee injury,” Simmons wrote on July 1. The Leafs, however, disagree with this assessment.

Many don’t think he will play despite the Leafs signing him…” It will surprise those who were around during the past few seasons if he plays for the Leafs again, if he plays at all,” Simmons remarked.

Hakanpaa played in 64 games with the Stars last season earning 2 goals and 10 assists for 12 points.