<p>Another long and drawn-out saga has ended in Leaf Land. On Wednesday, the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/toronto-maple-leafs/line-combinations">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> officially signed defenseman Jani Hakanpää to a one-year contract. The deal will carry a cap hit of $1.47 million for the 2024-25 season. </p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ro" dir="ltr">🖊 We’ve signed defenceman Jani Hakanpää to a one-year contract</p>— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1833958745640231107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>This was the Maple Leafs’ second attempt at signing the 32-year-old. On July 1, Toronto reportedly <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-sign-defenseman-jani-hakanpaa-to-two-year-contract">signed Hakanpää to a two-year contract</a> with an AAV of $1.5 million. However, the contract was never officially registered with the NHL. </p>



<p>The Leafs’ alleged hurdle in completing this deal was Hakanpää’s health. The Finnish defenseman suffered a lower-body injury late in the 2023-24 regular season with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/dallas-stars/line-combinations">Dallas Stars</a> and was unable to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs while he recovered. The Stars were ultimately eliminated by the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/edmonton-oilers/line-combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> in the Western Conference Final.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="144"></div>



<p>In 64 games last year, Hakanpää scored two goals and 12 points, averaging 18:38 of ice time per game.</p>



<p>Chris Johnston of <em>The Athletic </em>recently reported that Hakanpää <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">suffered a knee injury last season. It has not been disclosed whether the former&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/st-louis-blues/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">St. Louis Blues</a>&nbsp;prospect has fully recovered from the ailment, but it has been said that Hakanpää&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/report-jani-hakanpaa-believes-he-can-play-on-injured-knee-in-2024-25">believes he can play on his knee</a>.</p>



<p>Hakanpää joins a Leafs team that has seen a healthy dose of veteran talent arrive on the scene. His former teammate, Chris Tanev, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-acquire-rights-to-chris-tanev-from-dallas-stars">was acquired via trade</a> earlier this summer, with <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/oliver-ekman-larsson-signs-four-year-contract-with-toronto-maple-leafs">Oliver Ekman-Larsson also being signed</a> once free agency opened. They join Morgan Rielly and Timothy Liljegren as key parts of a hopefully improved D-corps.</p>



<p>The 6-foot-7 defender’s contract fits right under the salary cap. With 45 of a possible 50 contracts signed, Toronto has only $30,333 in cap space, <a href="https://capwages.com/teams/toronto_maple_leafs">according to CapWages</a>. That might make things tough for another player expected to join the Leafs. Veteran winger <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/max-pacioretty-joins-toronto-maple-leafs-on-pto">Max Pacioretty signed a professional tryout</a> agreement with the team, with the expectation that he is going to sign a one-year contract at the end of training camp. This puts general manager Brad Treliving in a spot where he might have to offload some money to fit Pacioretty into the fold.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="212"></div>



<p>In six seasons in the NHL, where he has also made stops with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/anaheim-ducks/line-combinations">Anaheim Ducks</a> and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/carolina-hurricanes/line-combinations">Carolina Hurricanes</a>, Hakanpää has appeared in 288 games, scoring 15 goals and 30 assists. In averaging 18:02 of ice time in his career, he has also registered a plus/minus of +34. Hakanpää has made 33 playoff appearances, posting four points and a -5 rating.</p>
