Just about everything general manager Brad Treliving touched turned into a gold medal in his second year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His moves, which included bringing in a new coach, put the Leafs in first place in the division. They lead the defending champions and Treliving’s work played a huge role in them getting there.
However, not everything went well. The $1.47 million contract with defenseman Jani Hakanpaa is a perfect example. One hockey analyst believes that’s the only downside to Treliving’s career this year.
In Jonas Siegel’s latest column for The Athletic, the analyst notes that Hakanpää, who hasn’t played since mid-November and has played in just two games this year, is “not training.” I discovered that.
“The 32-year-old has recently been on the ice for regular skating practice with player development coach Denver Manderson, but has not participated in a practice in the past month,” the analyst said. said. “Hakanpaa was a flyer in the fall when the Leafs finally signed him to a one-year deal instead of the two-year deal that was prematurely reported in July.”
According to Siegel, Hakanpaa’s contract was initially controversial due to knee issues, and “the first half of the season did nothing to allay those concerns.”
NHL officials said concerns are only growing given the defenseman’s lack of playing time and clearly poor play when healthy. Siegel said it could be “huge” if Hakanpaa can get back to form, but it’s unlikely.
NHL officials praise Chris Tanev joining Maple Leafs by Brad Treliving
Brad Treliving made a big hit by signing defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year contract. So far, this move has aged like fine wine for the Maple Leafs in many ways.
What matters, especially when compared to Tanev’s colleagues, is how many games he played. While Auston Matthews and Anthony Stolarz are injured, Tanev is not.
“Tanev played in all but one game. This is only half a season of a six-year contract. A full award on his contract, which expires in 2030, will not be forthcoming anytime soon. “He had a great performance early on,” Jonas Siegel said.
Tanev outperforms his teammates in 5-on-5 shots, scoring chances, high-danger chances, high-danger goals, and expected goals.
Edited by Kurtik Jain
