Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving expanded on Jani Hakanpaa’s status after the defenceman was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) to begin the 2024-25 season.
Hakanpaa is working his way back from a knee injury but has skated during training camp in non-contact scenarios, rejoining the team during a practice session in Muskoka, Ontario on October 2. As a result of the LTIR designation, Hakanpaa is ineligible for the first 10 games of the season. He can return to the lineup on November 2, when the Maple Leafs play the St. Louis Blues.
“Touch wood, there have been no setbacks,” Treliving said of Hakanpaa via Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. “He’s been practising, but it hasn’t been full contact. We’ll have a game plan in the next couple weeks, whether that means maybe getting him into games with the (AHL’s Toronto) Marlies on a conditioning stint. We’ll see.”
Hakanpaa signed with the Maple Leafs on a one-year contract worth $1.47 million on September 11, after a summer where it was initially reported that he agreed to a two-year deal worth $3 million. The 32-year-old is a towering presence at 6-foot-7 and embodies the characteristics Treliving has sought after during his tenure with the Maple Leafs.
“It was a good back-and-forward with the team, they visited me, I came here,” Hakanpaa said of his decision to sign with the Maple Leafs on September 16. “We’re all on the same page and it’s great that we got it done now. We’re all looking forward to getting to the real work and playing.”
Hakanpaa recorded two goals and 12 points in 64 games with the Dallas Stars before suffering the season-ending knee injury.
There is a natural curiosity how Hakanpaa’s season unfolds with the Maple Leafs in large part due to his size and the fact that he’s competing on a Maple Leafs blue line that has locked in its first five spots, with open competition still among the roster, and this will be something to monitor, especially as the November 2 date inches closer.
