#3 Jani Hakanpaa
As one of the Leafs key offseason signings in 2024, Jani Hakanpaa was added with the (probably misguided) hope that he could significantly help boost the defensive play in their back end.
With a towering height of six foot seven inches and weighing in at 225 pounds, Hakanpaa was expected to provide some much-needed physical presence on the Maple Leafs blueline.
However, Hakanpaa has managed to get into only two games of action so far this 2024-25 NHL season, as he had been hampered by injuries.
When he did play, he made his defensive presence felt by registering a hit along with three blocks in over 28 minutes of total ice time during those two games. Hakanpaa missed the first month of the season when he was recovering from a knee injury sustained from the end of his previous season with the Dallas Stars. Currently, he has found himself on the injured reserve once again since November 16 due to a lower-body injury.
With the Leafs defensive corps doing a fine job in his absence, it may seem at first glance that Hakanpaa may not be as important as one would assume. However, with every game becoming tougher and tighter down the stretch, especially once the playoffs start, the luxury of having a defensive warrior in Hakanpaa in the lineup will no doubt make a huge difference for the team.
In particular, with Simon Benoit and Connor Timmins still having some warts in their game from time to time, Hakanpaa would be the ideal replacement for either player in the lineup down the road to make the Maple Leafs defense that much more tougher to play against.