Jani Hakanpaa signs new contract after failed stint with Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
After a failed stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Finnish defenseman Jani Hakanpaa has signed a one year contract with Oulun Karpat in the Finnish Liiga, the top hockey league in Finland.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenseman Jani Hakanpaa in 2024, they were hoping to get a solid depth piece who played over a combined 120 games in the last three years with the Dallas Stars.
But things never worked out for him with the Maple Leafs, as he played only two games in a Maple Leafs sweater.
His career is now on the move back to his homeland, as he's signed a one year contract with Oulun Karpat in the Finnish Liiga, Finland's top hockey league.
Maple Leafs LEGEND Jani Hakanpaa has signed a one-year deal with Karpat in Finland.
Looks like his knee has finally healed. - Puck Empire
Looks like his knee has finally healed. - Puck Empire
In the two games that he played in a Maple Leafs sweater, Hakanpaa had no points and spent most of his time on Long Term Injured Reserve.
The Maple Leafs Signed Jani Hakanpaa In 2024
After he played three years with the Dallas Stars, Hakanpaa, who was taken with the 104th overall pick by the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, was signed by the Maple Leafs in 2024.
But he would only play two games with the Maple Leafs, and spent most of of his time on Long Term Injured Reserve. Eventually, Leafs GM Brad Treliving admitted things just didn't work out.
In Jani's case, we knew going into the summer and talking to him that there was risk. We went through that process, and we took a swing, and it didn't work out. But we'll always continue to look at if there's times to take swings, we're going to try to take swings. It didn't work out. - Brad Treliving
Before coming to the Maple Leafs, he played in 288 NHL games and had 45 points (15G, 30A).
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JANVIER 14|182 ANSWERS Jani Hakanpaa signs new contract after failed stint with Maple Leafs Did the Maple Leafs make a mistake by signing Jani Hakanpaa? | ||
| Yes | 135 | 74.2 % |
| No | 47 | 25.8 % |
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