Jani Hakanpaa: the Leafs’ new signing spotted wearing a Stars jersey

A few months ago, when the free agent market opened, Montreal Canadiens fans were obviously keeping an eye on what the Habs were going to do, but also on what their rivals were going to do.

Indeed, it’s always interesting to keep an eye on what the other teams in the Atlantic Division are doing, in order to improve.

Of course, one of the teams we’re keeping a close eye on is the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In addition to re-signing Max Domi, they only signed an auxiliary goaltender in Anthony Stolarz and two depth defensemen in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jani Hakanpaa.

At first glance, there’s nothing unusual about the Leafs’ depth signings.

However, when we analyze the case of Jani Hakanpaa, we realized a few months ago that the Finnish defenseman might never play hockey again.

His knee is in poor condition, yet he’s under contract for two years with the Leafs and will pocket $3 million a year.

Why am I bringing this up again today?

Well, because Hakanpaa was recently spotted at an event in Finland wearing the jersey of the Dallas Stars, his former team.

Jani Hakanpaa was part of a group of players hosting a charity golf tournament in Oulu, Finland on Saturday.

The defenseman, who reportedly signed a two-year deal with the #Leafs, was taking photos wearing a Stars jersey. https://t.co/MJp2W7s6np https://t.co/MJp2W7s6np

– Nick Barden (@nickbarden) August 3, 2024

How about that? Pretty weird, thanks.

I understand that technically Hakanpaa hasn’t played with the Maple Leafs yet, but still, he’s a member of the team.

So it’s pretty weird to see him walking around and taking pictures in his former team’s colors at the “All-Star Charity” golf tournament in Oulu, Finland.

Let’s just say it only amplifies the rumours that he may never play in Toronto.

The fact remains that, officially, the Leafs have never announced the signing of Hakanpaa, even though she’s been announced everywhere and is present on the Leafs’ salary scale just like OEL on CapWages.

In short, the Hakanpaa situation remains a mystery for now, but let’s just say it’s pretty weird to see him wearing his former team’s jersey at an event.

Imagine if Alex Barré-Boulet walked around taking photos with fans wearing a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey.