One of the biggest remaining questions for the Maple Leafs this off-season was just answered.
Toronto has signed defenceman Jani Hakanpää to a one-year, $1.47 million deal, the team announced on Wednesday, finally making the deal official after two months of waiting for pen to hit paper.
It was originally reported on July 1 — the opening of the NHL's free agency window — that Hakanpää and the Leafs had agreed on a two-year, $3 million contract, but before Wednesday, he had still not been added to the team's roster nor had they announced him as an official signing.
There were questions about the blueliner's health after he missed the final 13 games of the Dallas Stars' regular season and the entire playoff run with a knee injury. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to treat the injury.
In August, when Auston Matthews was announced as the Maple Leafs' new captain, general manager Brad Treliving was asked about the delay to Hakanpää's deal being finalized.
"We're working through that. Today, we're dealing with this. But we'll get to that, hopefully, sooner rather than later," Treliving said.
The six-foot-six, 225lb defenceman is the third addition to Toronto's blue line this off-season, joining Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the revamped back end.
Hakanpää, a true defensive-defenceman, has never been one for picking up points, tallying only 12 goals and 28 assists over 226 games during his five-year NHL career.
He had two goals and 10 assists in 64 games with the Dallas Stars last season before going down with a knee injury.
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