Nearly everything general manager Brad Treliving has touched has turned to gold in his second year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His actions, including bringing in a new coach, put the Leafs in first place in their division. They lead the defending champions, and Treliving’s work has played a huge role in achieving that goal.
Yet not everything worked out. The $1.47 million signing of defenseman Jani Hakanpaa is a good example of this. One hockey analyst believes this is the only blemish on Treliving’s resume this year.
In Jonas Siegel’s latest column in The Athletic, the analyst finds Hakanpaa, who has not played since mid-November and has only two games to his name all year, under ‘no training’.
“The 32-year-old has recently been on the ice for regular skating with player development coach Denver Manderson, but has not participated in practice in a month,” the analyst said. “Hakanpaa was a flyer when the Leafs ultimately signed him to a one-year deal in the fall and not the two-year contract that was prematurely reported in July.”
According to Siegel, Hakanpaa’s signing was initially controversial due to knee problems, and “the first half of the season has done nothing to alleviate those concerns.”
The NHL insider said concerns have only increased given the defenseman’s lack of playing time and apparent sluggishness when he was healthy. Siegel said it could be “big” if Hakanpaa returns to form, but that doesn’t seem likely.
NHL insider praises addition of Chris Tanev to Brad Treliving’s Maple Leafs
Brad Treliving made the big move by signing defender Chris Tanev for six years. So far, the move has in many ways aged like fine wine for the Maple Leafs.
Something crucial, especially when compared to Tanev’s peers, is how many games he has played. While Auston Matthews, Anthony Stolarz and others have suffered injuries, Tanev has not.
“Tanev has played in every game except one. It’s only half a season of a six-year contract. A full ruling on his contract, which expires in 2030, won’t be made for a while. But he was excellent in the beginning .” Jonas Siegel said.
Tanev outranks his teammates in shots, scoring chances, risky chances, dangerous goals and expected goals in five-a-side.
Edited by Krutik Jain