The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Monday that defenseman Jani Hakanpaa has been placed on injured reserve, effective retroactively from November 16.
In response to this move, the team has called up Marshall Rifai from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, continuing to adjust their lineup during an ongoing injury crisis. By backdating Hakanpaa’s IR status, he will be eligible to return to play as soon as he is ready, since he has already met the minimum time requirement on injured reserve. Hakanpaa has only played in two games for the Maple Leafs this season, totaling 28 minutes and 10 seconds of ice time.
The defenseman, who previously played for the Dallas Stars, signed a one-year contract worth $1.47 million with the Leafs in September. Hakanpaa, standing at an impressive 6-foot-7, spent the offseason and the start of the regular season recovering from a knee injury he sustained late last season. He finally made his debut for Toronto on November 13. Unfortunately, his return was short-lived as he suffered another lower-body injury, confirming concerns about his inconsistent health. Leafs head coach Craig Berube had planned to use Hakanpaa on the second penalty-kill unit and saw him as a key shutdown player on the third pairing at the very least. His absence adds to a defense that is already struggling due to other injuries.
Although forwards Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies have recently returned to the lineup, the Leafs are still missing Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf, Max Domi, Max Pacioretty, Dakota Mermis, Bobby McMann, and Jake McCabe. In the meantime, Rifai will be responsible for assisting the Leafs while they await Hakanpaa’s return. He has started the AHL season well, playing for the Toronto Marlies, where he has scored four points in 17 games with a plus-10 plus/minus rating.
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