In 2019, David Urquhart coached Jani Hakanpää and Simon Benoit with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Both defencemen are now Toronto Maple Leafs and, beneficially for a Leafs blue line that needed to become heavier and more physically imposing, the former Gulls coach sees resemblances between the two players.
“When I saw Jani Hakanpää sign for the Leafs, I thought, there’s a lot of similarities between him and Simon Benoit,” Urquhart said. “That’s in terms of likability in the dressing room, giving it their all and selflessness on the ice. I originally didn’t know about (Benoit) because he was a bit of an in-between guy, and then he became a real important player for the Leafs in the stretch drive and in the playoffs.”
If you’re general manager Brad Treliving and the Leafs coaching staff, getting the same type of feel-good turnaround season from Hakanpää that they got from Benoit a year earlier is part of the goal in signing him to a one-year, $1.47 million contract.
🖊 We’ve signed defenceman Jani Hakanpää to a one-year contract
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 11, 2024
Treliving originally addressed the signing of the 6-foot-7 defenceman in a media availability when free agency opened. The original deal was thought to be a two-year contract with a $1.5 million cap hit.
As summer dragged on, that deal was never formally announced, leading to questions about his future in Toronto.
Hakanpää’s past season ended prematurely because of injury; after 64 regular-season games, he played his last game for the Dallas Stars on March 16 and did not log a minute in the playoffs. Hakanpää had arthroscopic knee surgery to treat the injury.
After 288 NHL games as a member of the Stars, Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks, Hakanpää is dead set on making it work in Toronto. He feels ready to go for the start of the season, but the Leafs staff had concerns about his health, which held up the deal becoming official for over two months.
Hakanpää is 32 and was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 draft by the St. Louis Blues. He spent time in the AHL between 2012 and 2015 then returned to Finland’s Liiga until 2019. He finally got regular playing time as a 28-year-old rookie in 2020-21 with the Ducks.
The Leafs are now presenting him with an opportunity: Hakanpää will have to prove he’s healthy enough to be effective not just in training camp but throughout the season.
If he can do so, the Leafs’ bet on him could have a notable payoff.
“(Hakanpää) is dedicated to getting better. He’s always looking for feedback and pushing himself,” Urquhart said. “He can get into a system and fill whatever role is asked of him.”
In many ways, Hakanpää is Treliving’s typical defenceman. Calling him and his 6-foot-7 frame daunting would be an understatement. If he can stay healthy enough to neutralize opposition forwards with his reach and penchant for laying the body, the Leafs could become a more difficult team to play against.
“(Hakanpää) will throw the kind of hit that will hurt guys,” Urquhart said.
Treliving had wanted to improve the Leafs’ penalty kill in free agency. Hakanpää was a player he turned to provide some sturdiness.
“That’s an area that Jani really shines (in), is his ability to kill penalties. You saw that in Dallas over the years, and specifically this past season,” Treliving said on July 1.
Hakanpää has never shied away from eating pucks near the blue line. His 128 blocks were the second most on the Stars in 2022-23. And even last season, when Hakanpää presumably wasn’t at his healthiest, his 6.18 blocks per 60 minutes were the highest in Dallas.
“Everything hits him. It’s crazy,” Urquhart said.
And those who have worked with Hakanpää insist his character will be a strong fit in the Leafs dressing room.
“He’s got a really light, personable demeanour. Guys really like him,” Urquhart said. “He looks scary, but when you talk to him, he’s such an enjoyable person to be around.”
Perhaps some of the doubts over whether Hakanpää can stay healthy are linked to the fact two of Treliving’s most notable free-agent signings in 2023 experienced health issues. John Klingberg didn’t make it through two months as a Leaf before hip surgery, which didn’t seem like a brand new issue. Ryan Reaves said midseason that, after previous knee injuries, he didn’t feel comfortable without knee braces.
It’s worth noting here that the Leafs appear to have mitigated the risk they’re taking in Hakanpää. The deal he first agreed to with the Leafs was for two years. With a one-year deal at a smaller cap hit, the Leafs’ risk looks more calculated. If Hakanpää’s knee doesn’t hold up, they can bury all but $320,000 of his cap hit with the AHL Marlies.
The addition of Hakanpää with the start of training camp now just days away means there are now very few surprises likely to emerge on the Leafs back end. If we’re counting Conor Timmins, the Leafs now have eight NHL defencemen on their roster. It feels likely Hakanpää will slot into the third pair with a more offensively-minded puck-mover like, say, Timothy Liljegren. As a result, the possibility of a player coming out of the woodwork from the Marlies and claiming a spot in camp — like Cade Webber, Topi Niemela or Philippe Myers — looks even less likely should Hakanpää stay healthy.
And adding $1.47 million to the Leafs books now necessitates shipping salary out before the season, adding another level of intrigue (and more questions) to Leafs training camp.
Hakanpää will get his chance to start answering some of those questions and making good on the opportunity the Leafs have given him soon enough.
(Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
