The Toronto Maple Leafs made some big moves on day one of free agency, but flying under the radar was their acquisition of hulking defenseman Jani Hakanpaa, formerly of the Dallas Stars. Since his signing, reports emerged however that his injury situation may be bad enough that he could be forced to retire.
This was bad news given that the Maple Leafs had just handed him a two-year deal, but now, Maple Leafs Insider Nick Kypreos has set the record straight;
At 6-foot-7, Hakanpaa has played in 80, 82 and 64 games over the past three years, showing that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank at 32-years of age, but the fears remain for many fans of the Maple Leafs organization. Those fears likely won't be alleviated until they see him on the ice in a meaningful game, but until then, it appears that everyone within the organization were comfortable enough to give him a two-year deal, so that is significant moving forward.
