Jani Hakanpaa makes a massive statement about his future with the Maple Leafs

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Tom Banks
August 4, 2024 (1:25 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs thought they had landed three defensive studs in free agency, but now it appears the Jani Hakanpaa signing may not happen.

This off-season has been a crazy one for the NHL, and one of the most overlooked stories of the year has been Jani Hakanpaa, who landed a two-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs alongside Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the blue line. However, reports quickly emerged that his injury history is worse than expected, with some experts revealing that he may never be able to play at the NHL level again.

Since that point, the team are yet to officially announce the signing, and the latest update to this story is a shocker, as Hakanpaa was seen interacting with fans at an event in public wearing a jersey of his former team, the Dallas Stars.

Maybe over-analyzing, but how often do active NHL players wear the jersey of their former team at events?

I don't think this Hakanpää deal is happening with TOR. It's definitely not done at least.

There's been very little official word on Hakanpaa's situation since the injury news was officially unveiled, and this latest update isn't a great look for Toronto. The deal to bring him to the Maple Leafs was a two-year deal worth $1.5 million, and if they don't intend on going through with the deal, there are several intriguing names out there.

One interesting one for Toronto could be former Brad Treliving draft pick Oliver Kylington, and while that type of talk is seemingly a while away, all signs right now point to Hakanpaa and the Maple Leafs not coming together on a deal after all.

Source: Hockey Feed
Jani Hakanpää drops subtle hint on future with Leafs