Jani Hakanpaa Finally Breaks Silence On Potential Return From Injury This Season
Toronto Maple Leafs fans finally get clarity on the absence of defenseman Jani Hakanpää after injuries have kept him off the ice for most of the season.
Hakanpää has been out of the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup for the last few months, only having played two games this season with Toronto since signing.
Hakanpää signed with the Leafs as a free agent on July 1st, a deal that would take two months to be officially registered due to concerns over his knee in which he had surgery for, and one that had a two-year pact decrease to a one-year deal.
The injury to his knee is still lingering, leading to Hakanpää's current absence that is right now keeping him out of the lineup since mid-November, and an injury that kept Hakanpää from being an playing for Finland at the Four Nations Faceoff.
Now, the defenseman himself has responded on whether he will return this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jani Hakanpää Reveals If He Will Return For Maple Leafs
Jani Hakanpää says that his goal is to return to the Leafs this season if he is able to.
Speaking exclusively to Jonas Siegel of 'The Athletic', Hakanpää says that while he wishes to still play this season, he admits it's not a certainty that he'll have that chance this season,
In the article, Siegel says it's not clear if Hakanpää will play again for the Leafs, or even in the NHL, with the 33-year-old potentially at the end of his career if his knee cannot recover; an unfortunate side effect of his style of play.
A fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, 104th overall, the Finn made his debut in the 2019-20 season with the Anaheim Ducks, playing two seasons before a trade to Carolina where he only stayed for 15 games.
Hakanpää then signed and played three seasons with the Dallas Stars afterward before signing with Toronto this past offseason.
Hakanpää has 15 goals and 45 points in 290 career NHL games played.
