The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Jani Hakanpaa on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, retroactive to November 16th. Hakanpaa will be eligible to be activated as soon as he’s healthy, though no specifics have been provided on Hakanpaa’s injury or timeline. In a corresponding move, the Maple Leafs have recalled defender Marshall Rifai from the Toronto Marlies. It’s Rifai’s first call-up of the season after clearing waivers and getting assigned to the minors on October 7th.
It’s not clear if Hakanpaa’s lower-body injury is connected to the knee injury that delayed his start to the season. He underwent an arthroscopic procedure last Spring, after his 2023-24 season was cut short in mid-March. He didn’t need any further testing after that procedure, and went on to sign a two-year deal with Toronto on July 1st – though the deal wasn’t formalized until September 11th, when it was adjusted to a one-year deal.
Hakanpaa didn’t return to full health until November 13th. He’s stepped into the lineup twice this season, recording no scoring, four blocked shots, and a -1. He was apparently injured in his second appearance, and has missed Toronto’s four games since. Hakanpaa has rotated into the bottom of Toronto’s blue-line with Simon Benoit and Conor Timmins. That role will now be handed to Rifai, who’s recorded four points – split evenly – through 17 AHL games this season. He has also recorded a Marlies-leading +10.
Rifai played in the first two NHL games of his career last season, recording no scoring and a +1. He averaged just-under 12 minutes of ice time in the pair of outings. Rifai has spent the bulk of the last two seasons in the AHL since signing as an undrafted college free agent in 2022. He recorded 25 points in 126 games across the pair of seasons.
“Hakanpaa” — Finnish for “Perpetually Injured”. At the rate things are going, I wonder if the NHL will set a record for man-games lost to injury this season.