The Toronto Maple Leafs have worked hard all season to finally get to where they are today. Currently in first place in the Atlantic Division with just a few games to go in the 2024-25 NHL regular season, the Leafs look to lock down the division title while preparing for the upcoming rigors of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Over the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs had gotten huge contributions from their biggest stars in the usual core four of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares. On top of that, the Maple Leafs also received some surprising output from the likes of a budding Matthew Knies and likely their breakout player of the year in Bobby McMann.
In addition, the presence of Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe and the newly acquired Brandon Carlo have really helped stabilize the back end for Toronto. Together with the elite goaltending of both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, it has helped fuel much of the team’s winning and success this season.
With the bulk of the players on the Leafs roster playing key roles for the most part over the course of the year, they are all deserving in making their upcoming playoff roster as well. However, with more abled bodies than the available spots in the playoff lineup, some players will likely need to watch from the sidelines once the first round begins.
As a result, let’s take a look at four Maple Leafs players that have no business being on their playoff roster and should be healthy scratches when the playoff action begins.
4 Toronto Maple Leafs Players Who Have No Business Being on the 2025 Playoff Roster
D Jani Hakanpaa
The Leafs signed big-bodied defenseman Jani Hakanpaa during the 2024 offseason with hopes that he could help add a strong physical presence to their back end. Averaging over 200 hits and 100 blocked shots per season, all while playing close to 18 minutes a night, he was exactly what Toronto needed to bolster their blueline.
However, Hakanpaa has only managed to appear in four live games this season, two with the Maple Leafs and two with the Marlies. That was because he had been dealing with an ongoing knee injury that had plagued him for the bulk of his 2024-25 campaign.
More recently, Hakanpaa had been seen skating again with the Leafs in practice during the past week, showing signs that he could potentially be an option during their playoff run. However, after spending almost the entire season on the sidelines, the idea of throwing the 33-year-old veteran right into the fire might not be the most wise move for Toronto to make as he will likely need some time to get his game up to speed. As a result, look for Hakanpaa to likely remain in the pressbox throughout the playoffs for the Leafs.