Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Jani Hakanpaa suited up in his first professional game in nearly eight months this past weekend with the Toronto Marlies.
Hakanpaa spoke with reporters after a Marlies practice on Monday about how he felt to be back in game action when he played the first game of his conditioning stint against the Cleveland Monsters. He knows there is still a ways to go before he gets the green light but he feels good to have gotten into a game for the first time since March 16th.
“It was great. It’s been a long time coming, so it was a great feeling being back out there,” Hakanpaa said via TSN’s Mark Masters. ” Even just getting ready for a game, it just felt really good. It was unreal. It was a big milestone for me personally. It was a lot of fun to get out there with the boys and play a game. Really enjoyed it.”
The towering blueliner has yet to make his Leafs debut due to a knee injury that has lingered for months, which put some doubt in continuing his career. It led to some drama over the offseason as his reported signing took a while to become official, but he was able to get a one-year deal in early September and has been working his way back to the NHL ever since.
Along with Connor Dewar, Hakanpaa was assigned to the Marlies on an LTIR conditioning stint on Friday, which signalled that he was inching closer to being cleared to play. He admitted that it was hard having to sit on the sidelines for months but taking a major step in his recovery has made the hard work worth it.
“It’s probably something we’ve got to keep managing throughout the year,” he said regarding his knee. “We found a good routine in how to deal with it. We learned a lot even the time, but obviously through the whole rehab process, even just being here, we’ve been loading it more and more each week, each day. It’s something we’re just gonna keep managing, doing the right things, and stay on top of it.”
Hakanpaa added that his knee felt good in Saturday’s game against the Monsters, and while he is not sure when he expects to get called up to the Leafs he is hoping it will be sooner rather than later. As for how the game went for him, he was held off the scoresheet but recorded a shot on net in a 4-2 loss to Cleveland.
The Leafs will no doubt give Hapanpaa as much time as he needs given the severity of the ailment as well as their roster crunch that will result in an impending transaction. A conditioning stint can last up to three and four games, though NHL teams have the option to request an extension if needed.
In the meantime, Hakanpaa will continue to practice with the Marlies and work his way back to full strength before making his long-awaited Leafs debut in the coming weeks.
“For not playing in a long time, you know, he’s a simple player as far as he knows what he is and it was nice,” Marlies coach John Gruden said about assessing the Finnish defenceman’s performance on Saturday. “I thought him and [Marshall] Rifai played extremely well. So it was a joy for us to have him, and I’m sure he liked getting into a game and trying to get his timing back.”
