Leafs Make 3 Depth Adds + Is Hakanpaa ACTUALLY A Leaf?

Leafs Make 3 Depth Adds + Is Hakanpaa ACTUALLY A Leaf?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed three guys, and a little news on a guy they signed yesterday who they may not have actually signed at all. Yeah how’s that for a tease?! That was a good one! Let’s do the little signings first and then we’ll talk about Jani Hakanpaa because something strange is going on there. The Leafs signed three guys starting first with left-handed defenseman Dakota Mermis. There he is. Drew, Drew put the graphic next to me. That’s – there he is this what he looks like that’s the Tweet. Up next, gigantic right-handed Defender man Philippe Myers and if you’re a real sick puppy Leaf fan you’re like “wait a sec didn’t we already have Philippe Myers?” ah ah I see you pay attention but the answer is yes and no. And big forward Cedric Pare. Did I do it? Cedric Pare, I’m I won’t try it again. I’m sorry. I took French in grade 10 – you don’t have to and like my teacher agreed I shouldn’t have. Let’s start with the guy who played the most games in the NHL last season out of the three of them, Dakota Mermis played 47 games for the Minnesota Wild last season. So you might be saying to yourself “who the heck is that guy?” ah ah shame on you you should know remember last year Simon Benoit “who the heck-” he’s Simon Benoit is who he is! I’ll fully admit Simon Benoit played over 70 games with the Anaheim Ducks in his final season there and I had not heard of that human being in my entire life. His numbers with the Ducks were really really bad, which is why I forever put the staple on it that “hey maybe his numbers shouldn’t count cuz they were with the Ducks!” Maybe the depth guys on the best teams in the league aren’t quite as good as you think they are. And maybe the depth guys on the worst team in the league aren’t quite as bad as you think they are. Now you might be saying to yourself “Oh Dakota Mermis like what why don’t I know that I know most of the good young players in this league” ah well you made a mistake he’s 30! A rare example of a guy who played a cup of coffee in the AHL last season, he only played five games he spent most of the season with the Minnesota Wild. 47 games, that’s over half a season you need 41 games to get there. He was in their line up. A quick Google of this guy, a quick YouTube search of this guy indicate he is not afraid to fight at all. The first thing that comes up is Michael Pezzetta of the Montreal Canadians hits his D partner John Merrill and right away Dakota Mermis is in there. How did he do in that fight? Eh mind your business but he went with Michael Pezzetta who is one of the tougher customers in this league. In fact if you go through the years this guy’s willing to go which that sounds like a Brad Treliving guy, a Shane Doan guy a uh Craig Berube guy. Not to mention this is actually probably a guy that Craig Berube would have seen a decent amount of in the Central division. One of the new features they’ve added on hockeydb.com is they’ll put a trophy next to your name whenever you’ve won a championship. His early career is riddled with them! In 2012 he won a championship with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. In 2013 he actually played 19 games with the University of Denver before joining the London Knights and winning a championship there. The guy who led that team in scoring by the way, Max Domi! And one of the three goalies that team used and Anthony Stolarz so a few members of the 2013 London Knights getting the band back together! And of course most importantly Mermis was part of the 2015 Memorial Cup winning Oshawa Generals. But hey that was in 2015, this guy’s 30 years old he’s actually been on a long Pro Hockey Journey. You know what’s incredible? Only 74 career NHL games played but he’s played in the NHL, like he’s played NHL games, in seven different seasons. He played nine games and then one game with the Arizona Coyotes. During the 19-20 season he scored his first career NHL goal as a member of the New Jersey Devils against Jordan Binnington, go watch that goal on YouTube it’s hilarious. For the 2020 and 2021 season he joins the Minnesota Wild, three games. Two games in each of the next two seasons and a substantial jump to 47 last year, more than half of the NHL games he’s ever played. Where, by the way, since you asked, I bet you asked, he had three goals and five assists for eight points in those 47 games. Realistically he’s just depth. The Leafs might keep him as an extra guy on their roster, I’m not sure. Wherever he is in the depth chart seven eight nine, he’s going to be somewhere in there there’s a real solid chance he plays games with the Marlies even if there are injuries. And if he does that’s okay. He’s played 50 or more games in an American Hockey League season seven times in his Pro Hockey career. This guy has put together a pro hockey career the hard way and it seems he’s just hitting his NHL stride at 30. Kind of an admirable story. Next we have Philippe Myers and it’s funny because you look at some of the raw things and you’re like “oh my gosh.” Now he’s 27. I don’t think he’s going to get much better than he is. But he’s an interesting story, almost of one of those players who peaked a little too early. Like Dakota Mermis he was actually a bit of a late bloomer in the sense that he was undrafted wins a championship with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL. Two seasons later he joins the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers AHL affiliate and he starts doing pretty well. He is a 6’7 over 210lb right-handed shot, what team in the NHL can’t use a player like that in their organization? “Yeah but can he play?” Well in his first AHL season he put up five goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 50 games and in his next season he put up nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points in 53 AHL games. Flyers go “okay let’s give this guy a shot” and he played 21 games with them. Scored his first NHL goal during that stint. The following season, the 19-20 season he really starts hitting his stride and this screws up so many careers. That time, that period in time, the 19-20 season and the 20-21 season, the covid seasons screwed up the development of so many players. You’re seeing so many guys who were like 2017 2018 2019 and 2020 draft picks who are getting waived and they signed a big deal and then they get bought out. Myers was like stunted right as he started to do well. Four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 50 games, he was a plus 17! This is in the NHL! Then he plays 16 games in those 2020 bubble playoffs, he puts up four points – three of those points are goals. And unfortunately he never really recaptured the magic. A goal and 10 assists in 44 games, he’s minus 10. Ends up going to the Nashville Predators 27 game cup of coffee. Then he ends up in a 16 game stint with the Toronto Marlies and I’m looking at his trade history and I’m going “I don’t remember him ever being traded to the Leafs?” But I do remember him getting traded to the Marlies. And I figured it out – he was traded to the Toronto Marlies not on an NHL contract it was an AHL deal. Seven points in 16 AHL playoff games with the Marlies so he’s a guy who the organization is at very least familiar with. These past couple seasons he’s been with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization usually with the Syracuse Crunch their AHL team uh but he’s played 11 games and a five game cup of coffee with the lightning. Are these guys going to change the complexion of the Leafs?! No, no but like last year you had Simon Benoit who was their seventh maybe even eighth ranked guy you also had William Lagesson, Max Lajoie got into games with them, they went as far down the depth chart as to go to Marshall Rifai. You need lots of guys especially on your Dcore where there’s only six spots, you need lots of guys who can give you NHL games. Mermis he can give you NHL games Philippe Myers he can give you NHL games. Should either guy be in your top four? All right, settle down. But can they give you NHL games? Like Mermis averaged 14 minutes for the Minnesota Wild last season in 47 games. Remember Max Lajoie with the Leafs last year? First of all the answer is probably no second of all if you do remember Sheldon Keefe wouldn’t even play that guy for five! So I’m not here to tell you these two players are incredible, but as depth pickups ah you could do worse. Then my favourite of these signings just because it’s funny Cedric Pare. The reason I think it’s funny is look at this. This is the picture that the Leafs used to be like “hey world we signed this guy.” He’s wearing a Rimouski Oceanic Jersey from the QMJHL. That is a Junior League, and I saw that and I went “Cedric Pare? Huh it did they sign a guy to a contract out of junior is that? What happened here?” Nope he’s 25. Don’t know why they use that one! Then I went to hockey DB and the picture that they had of him was in a Boston Bruins uniform and I went “okay okay I understand!” Won a championship in 2017 with the St John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, just signing a bunch of Champions. And he was actually a sixth round pick 173rd overall of the Boston Bruins. There’s another one of those guys, drafted in 2017, and uh oh, oh it just didn’t work out. Why didn’t it work out? Well one of the reasons why might be that his final year in junior was 2019 2020 that’s the COVID year. First pro season is in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies, no longer the only hockey team in Utah and he does pretty well there for his first pro season. The 6’4 212 lb forward puts up 17 goals 23 assists for 40 points but it’s in the ECHL. Finally ends up in the AHL with the Ottawa [Belleville] Senators in 41 games four goals six assists 10 points meh. Even goes back to the ECHL as recently as two seasons ago for a cup of coffee. Last season with the Colorado Eagles a bit of a breakout. 14 goals 21 assists 35 points in 61 games in the A. And did I mention he’s big? He’s big. That’s coming off of four goals, two assists for six points in seven games playoff run as well Kyle Cushman on Twitter right here, he always does such a good job, had this to say about Cedric Pare. “Cedric Pare gets his first NHL contract, 6’4 left wing/Center who has consistently improved offensively in the AHL (that is true) 25 years old, good defensive results before this season.” Then he puts it in chart form “Was at Leaf’s development rookie camp in 2021” we’re learning things here “So a player they’ve liked for a bit.” Just like Philippe Myers. “Good add for the Marlies” So is he signed to an NHL contract? Yes. Does this mean he is ever going to play games in the NHL? No. Can he? Yes. Dude there might actually be some opportunities here for the Leafs up front because Nick Robertson doesn’t want to sign here, Alex Steeves still needs a contract, and right now if you go look at the Leaf’s cap friendly page for the three days remaining that you can still do that they only have 11 forwards there. You might be like “Ah throw Alex Steeves into that extra slot!” He doesn’t have a contract. Like it’s not going to necessarily end up this way, but the Leafs could head into next season with like Nick Abuzzese in a regular spot or I I don’t know. Everyone keeps saying “Oh Fraser Minten,and Easton Cowan” I think both those guys are going back to Junior. They might start the season with the Leafs, but I don’t think that’s the long-term solution. Well long-term in terms of next season it is very much the long-term solution in terms of the next few years. So three depth signings, you need depth cool. Now Jani Hakanapaa, we made a video about him. You might have liked it. There’s another huge dude 6’7 200 billion pounds, he’s a Yeti. He’s a Yeti out there! He was 11th in the NHL over the last three seasons in hits. The Leafs actually have three guys inside the top 20 uh Ryan Reaves was another and Simon Benoit was another. He signed to a two-year contract $1.5 million per, except maybe he hasn’t. If you look right here this is the Maple Leafs roster that’s available on Maple leafs.com, like this is the official website, uh Mermis and Myers had been signed officially like an hour before I took this screenshot? So they updated it pretty fast. Jani Hakanapaa is not on here and he is one of the guys who was reported to sign with the Leafs yesterday on July 1st. Two years 1.5 mil. They haven’t announced it yet and that is starting to raise eyebrows because someone is out there, that someone being Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, is saying uh he may never play again. This is the Tweet “When the Leafs signed Jani Hakanpaa I did what I always do when the Leafs sign a player I do not know. I asked people who do know, or should know. I was told by two different sources that they were shocked any team would sign him. I was told they didn’t think he’d play again.” So that’s concerning! Hakanapaa has been a steady NHL defenseman over the last three years, again he’s 11th in hits over a three-year span but his final game last season I believe was March 16th as a member of the Dallas Stars and then he didn’t play in the playoffs. He missed the whole rest of the season after that with what I believe was a knee injury. Now it’s interesting cap friendly says the Leafs are 1.5 or a little over $1.5 million over the salary cap, and they have Jani Hakanapaa on the cap. The Leafs haven’t announced this. He is not on the Leafs official roster. Once again his cap hit was 1.5 mil. So the Leafs haven’t announced it, there’s someone saying that he may not play again, and the amount that the Leafs are over the cap is roughly the amount of money that Jani Hakanapaa is supposed to make. If you’re raising your eyebrow right now, you’re right like yeah that’s odd. Also do a little math. Rielly-Tanev, okay cool um McCabe and Ekman-Larsson and then you get Benoit-Liljegren. Are they signing Hakanapaa just to sit? Is Benoit sitting that – yeah is he? It’s good to have internal competition but something’s not right here. Now it may be that Hakanapaa needs to pass a physical first, which I wouldn’t be shocked by uh at the Leafs are being an awful mum about it I wonder when we’re going to get news here. So there’s those three signings and possibly a fourth with Hakanapaa, we don’t know. What do you think’s going on? What are you happy about? What are you upset about? Let me know, let me know, let me know how blessed the Leafs are. Let me know how cursed they are in the comment box down below. For now that is it for this one, thank you very much for watching, click like if you like this video, click subscribe if you really liked it, tell all your friends – Cedric Cedric Pare, Cedric Pare. I’m – I said I wouldn’t do it again and then I did it again I shouldn’t I shouldn’t have done it.

Hakanpaa chat 11:00

Steve dangle recaps and analyzes the Toronto Maple Leafs 3 depth signings of Cedric Pare, Dakota Mermis and Philippe Meyers. Then, he discusses the report that Jani Hakanpaa may actually be seriously injured and never play again

BECOME AN SDP VIP! https://www.youtube.com/sdpn/join
SDPN: https://www.sdpn.ca/
ADVERTISE WITH US! https://sdpn.ca/sales/
SDPN DISCORD: https://discord.com/invite/MtTmw9rrz7
BOOK: https://bit.ly/2I9hmWP
AUDIOBOOK: https://bit.ly/2GIgYya
EASTER SEALS: https://t.co/DVbMNTS1IL