Former Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpää will officially continue his hockey career in Toronto. The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that Hakanpää signed a one-year, $1.47 million contract with the club over two months after reports indicated he would be joining the team as a free agent.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed free agent defenseman Jani Hakanpaa to a one-year deal worth $1.47 million, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. If that sounds familiar, then there's a very good reason why.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be forced to complete a trade or waive a player to free up salary cap space if they want to transition free-agent signing Max Pacioretty from a tryout deal to a standard contract.