Photo credit: Jamie Sabau – USA Today Sports
Jani Hakanpaa has not yet appeared in any of the Maple Leafs’ pre-season games, but on Saturday, Craig Berube revealed the team’s plans for the big defenseman.
At the start of July, the Maple Leafs kicked off their free agency by adding some significant pieces to their blueline, including Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jani Hakanpaa. Despite the reporting on July 1st that Hakanpaa had signed a deal, it wasn’t until earlier this month when the 6’7 blueliner actually made things official by putting pen to paper in Toronto.
Hakanpaa had undergone knee surgery earlier this season and his condition following the procedure was very much unknown until recently. There were previous reports that Hakanpaa’s knee was bone-on-bone, which left the outlook appearing pretty grim. However, after working with the Leafs’ medical staff, both sides felt comfortable enough to make things official.
After skating with Group C for the entirety of training camp to this point, Hakanpaa finally appears to be turning a corner, as Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed on Saturday that Hakanpaa will shift over to the main group at the beginning of next week.
Hakanpaa’s deal with the Leafs was originally expected to be a 2-year pact back in July, but when the deal was finalized a couple of weeks ago, it was confirmed to be a 1-year deal.
The expectation is that Hakanpaa will be in competition for the 3rd pairing spot on the right side — the spot that Timothy Liljegren currently occupies. Hakanpaa also figures to factor into the team’s plans on the penalty kill.
News
Prince Harry mentioned in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit. The truth has come to light.
Prince Harry was mentioned in a $30 million lawsuit accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of sᴇxᴜᴀʟ abuse. Music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones said in court documents filed last month, and obtained by Page Six, that guests were drawn to Diddy’s alleged sᴇx-тʀᴀғғιcκιɴԍ…
Slafkovsky Pulls the Hair of Leafs’ Marshall Rifai During Fight, Gets Dropped by a Single Punch
Photo credit: TSN Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovsky and Leafs’ Marshall Rifai dropped the gloves on Saturday, with Slafkovsky actually resorting to some hair-pulling before getting dropped. It was a chippy affair in Montreal on Saturday night after Leafs defenseman Cedric Pare delivered a stiff knee-on-knee…
Reporter Shares Unfortunate Updates on Patrik Laine, David Reinbacher Following Loss to Maple Leafs
Photo credit: MARTIN ALARIE / JOURNAL DE MONTREAL Canadiens reporter shares unfortunate updates on Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher, who were both injured early on during last night’s loss to the Maple Leafs. A pair of injuries to Laine and Reinbacher on Saturday…
Countless Chris Brown fans are thrilled and eager to see the artist perform live on South African soil.
Chris Brown. Photo: Suppled Chris Brown, the award-winning and international superstar, has just sent shockwaves through social media by announcing on Instagram, “South Africa I’m coming!”. The multi-talented artist, revered for his remarkable abilities as a singer, songwriter, dancer, and…
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber Together Composed a Sweet Song for His Wife!
Two international singers released a new song titled “I Don’t Care” on May 10. I Don’t Care has content praising the spouses of two singers. For Ed, it was Cherry Seaborn – his childhood friend. The two became husband and…
“Chris Martin and Ed Sheeran Surprise with Performance at Global Citizen”
Artists join forces for unannounced four-song acoustic set of their hits at New York’s Central Park Ed Sheeran and Chris Martin @ Global Citizen YouTube The 2024 Global Citizen Festival took place Saturday in New York’s Central Park, and in addition to performances…
End of content
No more pages to load