Senior defender prepares for NHL return after the failed leaves ends – Hockey writer – Toronto Maple Leaf
Maple Leafs defender Jani Hakanpaa is preparing to return to the NHL after challenging the 2024-25 season. The contract was signed early last summer and his deal was delayed to become formal, mainly due to career-threatening injuries that no one seemed to be able to find. He eventually returned with Toronto but played only two games.
The 33-year-old initially signed a multi-year contract with Toronto, but after the contract was revised to illustrate his health, he signed a one-year, $1.47 billion contract that expires at the end of the 2024-25 season. From most of the time, it was a gamble, without paying back for the Maple Leafs, who wanted to overhaul its defensive forces and get harder.
Now, Hakanpaa is free to sign and clean up wherever he wants, Hakanpaa is looking for new NHL opportunities for the upcoming season.
Will the NHL team catch Hakanpaa?
If healthy, Hakanpaa can bring interesting elements to the NHL roster. Known for his physicality, he scored 899 shots and 45 points in 290 professional games, and is probably a solid (though not fast) third-place defender. He may not be playing hard ice time on average for 18 minutes a night, but his role in cheap contracts is more limited and he may be an interesting addition.
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As the right defender, he can attract attention from teams looking to add depth and resilience to the blue line.
The 33-year-old told Ville Touru of Ilta-Sanomat that his health was clear and he had received a call from the NHL club. He is waiting to sign somewhere, but it is not clear why. Maybe he hopes the offer will increase. It may also be that he knew the offer would not be very high and he needed to prove himself. This could mean finding the best opportunity with a team, which will allow him to raise the number of contract offers in 2026.
Given his recent injury history, he may be a strong candidate for Professional Picks (PTO).
Can Hakanpaa return maple leaves?
Hearing the benefits of being healthy and ready to return to the NHL, don’t expect Toronto to shoot another shot for Hakanapaa. Leafs may be asking for help on its blue line, but the focus is on attacking from the back end, not the genre of games offered by Hakanpaa. If anything, GM Brad Treliving will look for a person who is moving the hockey and another potential power player. The idea was to generate points, replacing some of Mitch Marner’s remaining production.
Not to mention, the leaves used to swing and whip it here. It is possible to have Hakanpaa go again, Toronto is not that they are happy to make the same mistake twice. In fact, he was eliminated in the playoffs last season. “The doctor cleared me into the playoffs. My legs were in good shape and I was able to train well. It was a real positive signal for the future.”
Despite this, Toronto chose not to take that route, which shows that they have moved on.
