Leafs send Hakanpää, Dewar to AHL on conditioning loans
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The Maple Leafs assigned defenceman Jani Hakanpää and forward Connor Dewar to the AHL's Toronto Marlies on LTIR conditioning loans Friday.
Both players have to play this season, with Hakanpää's recovery dating back to a knee injury last season with the Dallas Stars and Dewar undergoing off-season shoulder surgery.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported Thursday the return of injured players could lead to more moves for the Maple Leafs, who traded Timothy Liljegren earlier this week.
"I would expect that Brad Treliving is either going to have to place another player on waivers, perhaps there's a conditioning stint to the American Hockey League that can be applied, or the idea of a trade, because Toronto right now is locked in with its 23-man roster," Dreger said on Insider Trading. "But beyond that, it was a fresh start for Timothy Liljegren. Right? He wasn't fitting the eye of head coach Craig Berube. So, he gets that start with the San Jose Sharks. The Toronto Maple Leafs get a couple of draft picks, which they need. Matt Benning - a veteran defenceman - who Treliving could also flip and add an additional asset. So, tidy work with depth players."
The 32-year-old Hakanpää had two goals and 10 assists in 64 games with the Stars last season prior to the injury, averaging 18:38 of ice time. Stars general manager Jim Nill confirmed after the season that Hakanpaa had an arthroscopic procedure on his knee, but was not expected to require any additional surgeries.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported on July 1 that Hakanpää and the Leafs had agreed on a two-year, $3 million deal. Treliving mentioned the defenceman among the team's adds later that day, but his signing was not made official until he inked a one-year, $1.47 million deal last month.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2010 draft by the St. Louis Blues, the Finnish blueliner didn't make his NHL debut until the 2019-20 season with the Anaheim Ducks. He has 15 goals and 45 points in 288 career games with the Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes and Stars.
Dewar recorded 11 goals and 19 points in 74 games last season split between the Minnesota Wild and Maple Leafs. He added an assist in six playoff games as the Maple Leafs fell to the Boston Bruins in seven games during the first round.
The 25-year-old re-signed with the Maple Leafs in July on a one-year, $1.18 million deal.
Drafted 92nd overall by the Wild in 2018, Dewar has 19 goals and 43 points in 190 career games split between the Wild and Leafs.