Maple Leafs send Dewar, Hakanpaa to AHL for conditioning

The Toronto Maple Leafs assigned forward Connor Dewar and defenseman Jani Hakanpaa to the AHL's Toronto Marlies on long-term injured reserve conditioning loans, the parent club announced Friday.

Dewar and Hakanpaa are still on LTIR. The loans can last for up to three games or six days. The Marlies play the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday but then have a week off until they face the Charlotte Checkers in a back-to-back Nov. 9 and 10.

The Maple Leafs reportedly agreed with Hakanpaa on a two-year contract at $1.5 million as an unrestricted free agent in July. However, he didn't sign until September, ultimately inking a one-year, $1.47-million pact after uncertainty about his health delayed him from officially putting pen to paper.

The 32-year-old hasn't played since March 16 when he was with the Dallas Stars. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in the spring.

Dewar spent last season primarily with the Minnesota Wild - with whom he played his first three full NHL campaigns in the years prior - before they traded him to Toronto in March. The 25-year-old collected 10 goals and four assists over 57 games with the Wild in 2023-24 before adding one tally and four helpers across 17 contests with the Leafs. Dewar is dealing with a shoulder injury.

He skated in a bottom-six role last season, but his average ice time increased from 11:17 to 12:54 after he changed teams. Dewar signed a one-year, $1.18-million deal with Toronto to avoid arbitration in July.