[Signing] Stars sign Jani Hakanpaa

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[Devron]

Here we go 

[HKSR]

Darn, would have preferred him over Poolman.

[Devron]

Just now, HKSR said:

Darn, would have preferred him over Poolman.

Honestly just gotta wait till the season starts to play out on this one 

[Alflives]

1 minute ago, HKSR said:

Darn, would have preferred him over Poolman.

Haka guy can’t skate very well.  He’s big, and has a cool name.  He’s really not very good.  

[JM_]

I'm curious why Carolina let him go for so little? They clearly preferred Bear for slightly more money. 

[Harvey Specter]

I was hopeful that we would have a shot at signing Hakanpaa but oh well. 

 

If we were in on him, it would have been great but perhaps he/his family didn't want to play in a Canadian market. 

 

Still some decent options that are still hunting for jobs after a wild ride to start Free Agency and with the approach that I am sure we are utilizing with our big club and Abbotsford, there will still be some healthy competition to fight for defense jobs. 

[Squamfan]

Better deal than Jimbo have Poolman. That’s asset value sadly we don’t have it.

[King Heffy]

7 minutes ago, HKSR said:

Darn, would have preferred him over Poolman.

Shaw disagreed.  I trust him.

[DrJockitch]

Was wondering when he would sign. Will be curious to see more of Poolman before go passing judgement. 

[kanucks25]

I'm just gonna assume the Finnish connection /tax situation in Dallas enticed him to sign for less and let this one go :D

Edited July 29, 2021 by kanucks25

[Maniwaki Canuck]

A portion of CDC might have preferred this guy to Poolman, but the fact that he went later and cheaper tells you what GMs' view was.

[JM_]

2 minutes ago, kanucks25 said:

I'm just gonna assume the Finnish connection /tax situation in Dallas enticed him to sign for less and let this one go :D

I wonder if Canucks management never thought he'd sign this low? 

[therodigy]

Solid deal for the Stars. $1.5M is a good price for a 3rd pair defensive D, especially over 3 years.

 

Even though Poolman's contract is richer, I still like it better for the following reasons:

 

- Poolman is one year removed from a 25 point pace season. There's potential for him to replicate or surpass his offensive totals, depending on his deployment. Hakanpaa's offensive potential is minimal, even in the European leagues.

- Hakanpaa would strictly be a 3rd pair defenseman with PK proficiency. The way Greener and Baumer deploy their lines, they go for utility more so then actual defined roles. Poolman has displayed more versatility playing match-up with Morrisey (to mixed results) as well as 3rd pair duties with Stanley (who  helped shut down Edmonton's offense in the POs)

- The extra year of Poolman's contract bypasses Myers' contract. He'll essentially take his role at that point at less than half the cost, provided Myers isn't moved or bought out before than. Essentially, he is Myers insurance. 

 

With all that said, this is a solid move for the stars who needed a dependable defenseman at a reasonable contract deal, especially with Heiskenen's new deal and Klingberg's deal about to expire. 

[Bure_Pavel]

Nice contract for a bottom pairing Dman, just saying 

[Roger Neilsons Towel]

24 minutes ago, HKSR said:

Darn, would have preferred him over Poolman.

That’s my gut feeling as well.
 

Especially at $1 Million bucks less per season and one less year of term. 
 

But I’ll have to reserve judgement until I see Poolman play. 

[RakuRaku]

Just from the size and RH standpoint, sure we could have saved a $1M getting this guy over Poolman... but if you watch Poolman closely, he does offer more upside IF he can bounce back next season!! so..... JB is rolling his dice again hoping he can get some luck again with Poolman being a cheap version of Myers!

[Master Mind]

Considering the contracts Poolman, Forbort, and Nemeth got, this is a good deal for Dallas.

[86Viking]

19 minutes ago, Maniwaki Canuck said:

A portion of CDC might have preferred this guy to Poolman, but the fact that he went later and cheaper tells you what GMs' view was.

Still a bottom pair D man like Poolman, who signed for less term and 1m less. It is not always about getting the best player for all positions...which is what I feel the Canuck GM tries to do, did it with Holtby paying him 2 years at 4.3m to be a backup then had to buy him out to then go sign the most expensive backup G again this FA as Halak will all but assure to hit the 3m cap hit mark.

[VforVasili]

As far as we know, we weren't even in on this guy. Lots of players prefer not to play in Canada due to taxes and plenty of other reasons. 

Chances are he waited to long and had to take a lesser deal, but that doesn't mean we would have gotten him.

I prefer aggressive Benning to ran out of time Benning so I think we all have to be a little more content with the fact that we are literally asking management to have a less patient approach, and that sometimes means we miss out on a last minute bargain. 

Again, though, how would folks feel if we waited and then he didn't sign here anyway?