The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Monday morning that they have placed defenceman Jani Hakanpaa on injured reserve retroactive to November 16. In a subsequent move, they announced that they recalled defenceman Marshall Rifai from the American Hockey League (AHL)’s Toronto Marlies.
Maple Leafs D Jani Hakanpää has been placed on IR (lower body) retroactive to November 16.
D Marshall Rifai has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) December 2, 2024
Hakanpaa, 29, was signed to a one-year deal by the Maple Leafs in September after the first report of a contract came in July. The official announcement of the contract was made two months later, having to work through some kinks in relation to his knee injury suffered in March first. Although Hakanpaa was eventually cleared to play, he missed the entirety of preseason and the first month of the regular season before being cleared to play in mid-November. He suited up against the Washington Capitals on November 13 and the Edmonton Oilers on November 16 but hasn’t played another game since.
Rifai, 26, has played 17 games for the Marlies this season and tallied four points. He got into two NHL games with the Maple Leafs, the only two games of his career, and garnered some respect from his teammates in preseason due to his steadiness, competitiveness, and willingness to stand up for his teammates.
“He had some games up with us last year and he worked so hard,” Matthews said of Rifai during training camp. “You can just see he wants it and continues to progress, and I’ve been pretty impressed with him and the way he plays hard on both sides of the puck.”
While it’s unknown how long Hakanpaa is out for and the connection to his prior knee injury hasn’t been officially reported, the fact that it’s a lower-body injury means a flare-up is a possibility at least. He plays a style of game that will add some serious wear-and-tear to your body over time, so it’s likely that this is something the team will need to manage throughout the season. It makes the emergence of Conor Timmins, whose rounded out his game under Craig Berube and taken a big step defensively, that much more important.
The Maple Leafs host the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night for their first of four games this week.
Sponsored by bet365
