Jani Hakanpaa Delivers Heartbreaking Update as Comeback Slips Away
Maple Leafs defenseman Jani Hakanpaa gave an update regarding his injury status, and it's safe to say he doesn't feel too optimistic about his future playing career.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Jani Hakanpaa as part of their revamped defense, he was expected to bring a lot of size, shot-blocking, and the ability to shut opponents down and looked poised to be a key part in the lineup.
However he's only played two games due to a lingering knee issue, and while he was expected to be back soon, we haven't heard or seen anything since making a rare appearance during practice.
Now the Finnish defenseman has opened up about his struggles with his injury filled season, and relents that perhaps it might be coming to the end of his career.
Jani Hakanpaa Opens Up About Injuries
Speaking to The Athletic, the towering Finn explained how frustrated he was with injuries affecting his ability to help the team:
It just wasn't meant to be this year. But there's still a lot of time and we're all hopeful of still having a lot of hockey games left.
Hakanpaa also delved into how the injury last March kicked off a domino effect he's feeling still to this day:
I think we all kinda got blindsided by it a little bit. Because I felt we were doing a really good job of managing it. I was feeling pretty good. And then, just within a few weeks, it kinda went downhill pretty quick.
Then we figured we'd just give it a little time and then work our way back and then it just didn't happen as fast as we thought it would. We tried to find different ways to get back.
It's truly an unfortunate turn of events for Hakanpaa, who at one time was one of the best shutdown defenders in the league.
He was expected to be back in time for the 4 Nations Face-Off after being selected for Team Finland, but didn't end up making it.
In two games with Toronto he recorded no points, four blocks, and was a minus-1 and for his career has 15 goals and 30 assists in 290 games, but has averaged over 200 blocks the past three seasons.
If this is the end for Hakanpaa, it may not be completely over. There's clear knowledge and talent within the defender, and he could easily translate to coaching or mentoring players without risk of getting hurt again.
But it's frustrating nonetheless for Jani Hakanpaa and especially for Toronto, as they no doubt have a bit of buyer's remorse.
But it's hardly Hakanpaa's fault, and what matters is that he gets healthy. Regardless of playing or not.
