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It took 72 days, but finally, Jani Hakanpaa is officially a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
And weirdly, considering how many twists and turns there’s been with this soap opera over the past few months, I still like the move quite a bit.
If healthy, there’s no question that the 32-year-old can offer the Leafs something that they’ve desperately craved for years now. He’s big, he’s strong, and most importantly, he shoots right.
On paper, Hakanpaa checks a lot of boxes.
Of course, as we’re all aware by now, the Fin does come with some baggage. He has a bad knee, but to the best of our knowledge, he’s been cleared by team doctors and is expected to be present for day one of training camp next week.
Just like the Max Pacioretty signing, the pros outweigh the cons with respect to Hakanpaa, too. Furthermore, I like the fact that it’s a one-year deal and not two, which was the rumoured term to start when the free agent market opened. It’s another low-risk, high-reward type transaction for Brad Treliving and company. Additionally, at that price tag, it made too much sense not to proceed, regardless of the injury history attached to the player. Yes, there’s an element of risk, but in this situation, I think it’s well worth the gamble.
Over and above all that, whether it was intentional or not, it worked in Toronto’s favour to slow play this entire situation dating back to the beginning of July. On Monday, they were able to come to terms with the much-maligned Nick Robertson. Also, it sounds like they’re going to figure out a one-year pact with Max Pacioretty, too. At the end of the day, they got their guy, and on top of that, they were able to conduct some shrewd business elsewhere, too.
Indisputably, it’s all up to Hakanpaa moving forward. If his knee can hold up, there’s no doubt that he’s capable of providing some serious depth and value to the blue line. Unquestionably, the juice was worth the squeeze, even if it comes with pulp.
