Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Defenseman Jani Hakanpää to One-Year Deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially signed defenseman Jani Hakanpää to a one-year contract worth $1.47 million, as confirmed on September 15, 2024. The deal includes a $695,000 signing bonus and a base salary of $775,000, along with an eight-team no-trade clause. This signing marks the end of an offseason filled with speculation about Hakanpää’s future, as his knee injury had caused delays in finalizing a contract with Toronto.
Initially, reports in July suggested that the Maple Leafs and Hakanpää had agreed to a two-year deal with an annual cap hit of $1.5 million. However, concerns about his health following a knee surgery in March 2024 led the team to opt for a shorter, one-year contract to mitigate risk. Hakanpää’s injury had cut his 2023-24 season with the Dallas Stars short, prompting Toronto to take a cautious approach.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his injury, Hakanpää’s physical presence on defense makes him a valuable addition to the Maple Leafs. Over the past three seasons with Dallas, Hakanpää posted modest offensive numbers, tallying 12 goals and 40 points in 226 games. However, his impact was more pronounced on the defensive side, where he accumulated 668 hits and 363 blocked shots, establishing himself as one of the league’s most physically dominant defensemen.
Toronto’s defense, which ranked 21st in goals allowed per game (3.18) last season, will benefit from Hakanpää’s presence, especially on the penalty kill. While the Maple Leafs’ penalty kill ranked 23rd last season, Hakanpää comes from a Dallas unit that was ranked 8th, and his role on Toronto’s blue line could help bolster their defensive efforts. However, his contribution will depend on his ability to stay healthy throughout the season.
Hakanpää joins a Toronto defense corps that was already strengthened earlier this offseason by the addition of veteran defenseman Chris Tanev. If Hakanpää remains available for most of the season, the Maple Leafs’ defense will be tougher to play against, adding a physical edge that was lacking in previous years.
The contract signing does complicate Toronto’s salary cap situation, as the team entered the day with roughly $400,000 in cap space, and Hakanpää’s deal now puts them over the cap. The team will likely need to make additional moves to manage their cap space as the regular season approaches.
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