Maple Leafs Get Surprise Appearance at Practice: Jani Hakanpaa Has Made His Return
It's been a long time coming for Jani Hakanpaa, but he finally took the ice with the Maple Leafs at practice for the first time since signing with the team.
GM Brad Treliving added a lot to his defensive corps this offseason, bringing aboard Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jani Hakanpaa to shore up their defense and bring in a fresh set of faces to help Toronto for their Stanley Cup push.
While Tanev and Ekman-Larsson have been great thus far, Hakanpaa has yet to take the ice after dealing with injuries and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to fix some issues. It's been debated how he will affect the team, or where his place will be upon his debut.
We may not need to wait much longer. Per Per David Alter, writer and manager of The Hockey News, Jani Hakanpaa has returned to the ice for the Maple Leafs for practice, skating with the team for the first time since signing:
TSN's Mark Masters corroborated the report on X, showing video of Hakanpaa skating and getting a feel for the ebb and flow of the NHL game:
Jani Hakanpaa's Journey Back To The Ice
It's a fantastic sign to see Hakanpaa return to the ice, not only because he's going to help the Maple Leafs' already elite defense get even better, but his career was in severe jeopardy due to his knee issues and it's great he gets a new lease on life.
Hakanpaa was seen skating while wearing the #28, a number that is synonymous with the Maple Leafs. It was Tie Domi's jersey number, Mike Pelyk's number, as well as Colton Orr's. It seems that number comes with an enforcer role, and Hakanpaa has no issues fitting into those shoes.
Where he would fit in is another question as Toronto needs to make a few roster moves. With Max Pacioretty on the IR now he could take his spot, however they have Auston Matthews returning very soon as well; Hakanpaa could slide in for Simon Benoit and give him a mental break, as he's been a step behind this season.
We have to wait and see if Hakanpaa will be penciled in for Tuesday's Battle of Ontario, however one thing is for sure: It's great to see him back on the ice and healthy once again.
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