Jani Hakanpaa Blows the Doors Wide Open on a Return to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jani Hakanpaa has dealt with a pretty bad knee injury all season long, however, there is a glimmer of hope that he returns.
When Jani Hakanpaa was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was well-documented that he might not be able to play at all this season.
His knee injury has been a problem for a while now and some even felt that the Leafs should cancel the contract given the issues that the defenseman is dealing with.
Eventually, Hakanpaa got a bit better and was able to play a couple of games before re-aggravating his injury.
Jani Hakanpaa honest about brutal knee injury
Since the re-aggravation, the defenseman has yet to play a single game but has been rehabbing his knee.
Today, Hakanpaa spoke to reporter Mark Masters and revealed that his knee is getting better every single day and he is hopeful for the future.
"That's a tough one to say anything, really. It's been trending really good in the gym, out on the ice, & off the ice. Hopefully, we get there. We'll see. Pretty good spot right now, been making some good improvements. Getting back out there with the guys has been good. Slowly working our way towards playing again here."
Will Hakanpaa play in the postseason? Probably not but that doesn't mean he isn't excited about getting better and having multiple good days in a row.
"There are a few things still there that I'd like to be a little better feeling on the ice, and other than that, just stringing good days together. Adding a little more load every day, adding a little more here and there, and then trying to string those good days, and make them good weeks into good months."
Overall, the Hakanpaa situation has been hard to watch because you never want to see a good guy go through something like this.
Whether or not he gets another NHL opportunity beyond this season, still remains to be seen.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 12 | 206 ANSWERS Jani Hakanpaa Blows the Doors Wide Open on a Return to the Toronto Maple Leafs Do you believe Jani Hakanpaa would be useful to the Toronto Maple Leafs at this point? | ||
| YES | 106 | 51.5 % |
| NO | 100 | 48.5 % |
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