TSN's Chris Johnston has provided an update on Maple Leafs defenseman Jani Hakanpaa and his playing future doesn't appear to be very promising at the moment.
After skating in just two games with the Leafs this season, the team announced that Hakanpaa underwent a surgical procedure on his knee again at the start of December.
A few weeks later, the Leafs placed the Finnish defenseman on injured reserve with Craig Berube stating he needed some time to 'get up to speed'.
Concerns initially arose in July when the Leafs and the former Dallas Star initially appeared to have agreed on a two-year contract. Those concerns were related to a potentially career-threatening knee injury that the Leafs downplayed before officially signing the 32-year-old to a one-year deal ahead of training camp.
On TSN's 'OverDrive' on Tuesday, Chris Johnston was asked about the Leafs potentially shopping for another defenseman after Chris Tanev's lower-body injury kept him out of the lineup against the Jets.
Johnston said that it was nothing to be concerned about with Tanev given his style of play and history, but he also revealed there is still much to be concerned about with Hakanpaa and that the Leafs will be looking for a defenseman to replace the former fourth-round pick due to the uncertainty around his health.
'It wouldn't surprise me to see the Leafs go shopping for another depth defenseman, someone that can play the right side. At this stage, you just don't know what you're getting from Jani Hakanpaa. Perhaps there is still a world where he comes back and can play a bunch of games...I still think he's still a bit of a lottery ticket. I can certainly see a case where they are out getting the type of players they have gotten in years gone by like Luke Schenn and Ilya Lyubushkin...Unless something changes dramatically and Hakanpaa is playing every night and there is no concerns there which hard to imagine happening, it wouldn't surprise me to see them in the market for a defenseman.'
Based on Johnston's comments, it would appear that the Leafs have no idea if Hakanpaa will be returning to the lineup this season, which is something the media and fans called out Brad Treliving for when he initially signed him.
Given the lack of production from the Leafs' blueline, Johnston noting they would be looking for someone like Luke Schenn or Ilya Lyubushkin over offensive help does come as a surprise.
The Leafs may believe they have enough offensive potential with Morgan Rielly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Timmins on the back end, but the numbers show that the team is heavily relying on Rielly to provide the production once again. The problem is that Rielly's numbers aren't all that flattering at the moment.
Hopefully Hakanpaa is able to return to the lineup so the Leafs can focus on adding their preferred third-line center and/or an offensive-minded defensemen instead of a replacement for the hulking 6-foot-7 blueliner.
