Hakanpää joins Leafs practice for first time
Published
Jani Hakanpää practised with the Leafs for the first time on Wednesday.
"It's been a long time coming for sure," the 6-foot-7, 222-pound defenceman said. "I've been doing a lot of work to get here, so it was a lot of fun."
He was hard to miss.
"He's really big," said centre Auston Matthews. "Obviously, with the skates on too, it's a different animal."
"Obviously a very big man out there," said winger Mitch Marner. "Great stick, great length on him, could skate very well, so he looked good out there today."
Hakanpää is working his way back from a knee injury. It remains unclear when he'll be ready to return to game action.
"That's a tough one," acknowledged head coach Craig Berube. "I can't really answer that question right now. We have to wait and see. We got a little bit of time yet and see where he gets to and where he's at. He's got to be comfortable with getting in there and playing a game."
The Leafs will wrap up the pre-season schedule with games on Thursday and Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. The regular season opener is next Wednesday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Hakanpää hasn't played since March 16.
"We're just going day by day right now," the 32-year-old righty said. "Trying to do everything we can and then hopefully sooner than later."
Hakanpää had been skating in a red, no-contact sweater at training camp, but donned a regular white sweater for Wednesday's workout.
"This was kind of like the first test to see where we're at," he said. "We'll see where we are tomorrow morning and then we'll go from there again. It's really, 'See how you feel every day,' and then we make adjustments if we have to, but hopefully we don't and we can keep going here."
On July 1, TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reported that Hakanpää agreed to a two-year deal with the Leafs. But no contract was officially registered with the league, which raised questions about Hakanpää's health. When the deal was finally announced in September it ended up being a one-year pact.
If Hakanpää is able to get back to his top level, the Leafs feel like he can bring a lot to their blueline.
"Not even ready yet, but he just kills plays with his reach," noted Berube. "He's been a real good penalty killer in this league. He's hard to play against."
The Leafs finished 23rd in penalty killing last season. Hakanpää was a big part of the Dallas Stars penalty kill, which finished eighth overall.
"He knows how to use his body," said Marner. "Knows how to get in shot lanes, knows how to get in passing lanes. Obviously, with the reach he has with that stick, he can really break up a lot of plays."
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This week's team-bonding trip to cottage country reminded Hakanpää of his native Finland.
"We were driving up on the bus and we got here and I'm like, 'This is like home,'" he said. So, it's been a real fun few days up here. Back home, it's probably not as much rock, but [there's] lakes. We got into the sauna yesterday and jumped into the lake and back. I love that. It's so good for the body and the mind. So, that was unreal."
The Leafs played a round of golf on Tuesday. The group that included William Nylander, Max Domi, Joseph Woll, and Nikita Grebenkin came out on top. Marner played in a group with Chris Tanev, Bobby McMann and David Kampf.
"Davvy doesn't play much golf in the summer or never," Marner said with a smile. "He hit a couple putts for us that were massive. He hit a 30 footer that we celly'd extremely hard on in front of people. So, all in all, it was a great day."
The trip wrapped up with the practice on Wednesday, which saw around 800 kids pack the stands at the brand new Muskoka Lumber Community Centre.
"It was great having the fans," Berube said. "A little motivation for the boys."
Marner revved up the kids after Toronto's top power-play unit scored a goal.
"A lot of energy," Marner said. "They don't quit screaming, so you're [having] fun out there, enjoying it and just taking it all in with them."
Most of the practice focused on special teams work. New assistant coach Marc Savard is overseeing the power play. Savard produced 292 power-play points during his 807-game NHL career.
"He had a great career," said Matthews, who led the Leafs with 18 power-play goals last season. "I think you always have a lot of respect for those kind of guys and just the way he thinks the game. He communicates a lot. He's extremely chatty, but I think in a good way. He wants a pulse on what's going on out there, whether it's power play, 5-on-5, or whatever. Easy guy to talk to. He had a heck of a career and a really smart hockey mind."
The coaching staff is cognizant that Toronto's top unit – Morgan Rielly with Matthews, Marner, Nylander and John Tavares – has had a lot of success over the years, especially in the regular season. Of course, Savard will still be implementing some changes.
"I think he's going to help a lot with our breakouts and getting into the zone cleanly," said winger Matthews Knies, who worked with the second unit on Wednesday. "We have a lot of skilled players on the ice that can make plays, but I think he's going to elevate their games and make it a lot better."
The Leafs finished seventh overall in power-play percentage last season before converting just once on 21 chances in a seven-game playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
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Grebenkin is only 21 years old and still learning English, but the KHL import is leaving a positive impression at this camp.
"Grebenkin is one funny guy," said Berube with a chuckle. "He's quite a character, this kid. You know, he's got a real bright future in this league. He's close. He's impressed me just with his play. He's a good player, obviously, and has some ability, you know, with his puck skills and strength and skating, but he's quite a character off the ice, pretty funny guy. I really enjoyed being around him."
The 6-foot-1, 191-pound winger has not done any interviews yet, but he's making his presence felt. In his first ever NHL pre-season game, the fifth-round pick from the 2022 draft dropped the gloves with Ottawa's Adam Gaudette and gestured to the crowd on his way to the penalty box.
"Definitely not shy, which I think you can appreciate," said Matthews. "Really good player, too. I think a lot of us were, maybe not surprised, but he definitely probably opened up a lot of guys' eyes just to how good he is and how big and strong he is on the ice. Off the ice, he's a lot of fun to be around, likes to joke around."
Grebenkin, who helped Magnitogorsk Metallurg win a championship last season, projects to start the season in the American Hockey League, but is positioning himself to be among the first call-ups when the team needs a forward.
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After finishing last season on separate lines, Matthews and Marner have skated together on the top line since training camp opened.
"They've been very good together for a long time," said Berube. "They have great chemistry for sure. They know where each other are. That's a huge thing."
Berube compares it to what he saw in St. Louis with Ryan O'Reilly and David Perron.
"We've had a great bond ever since Day 1 together," said Marner. "We have a hell of a relationship. We communicate very clearly about how we want each other to play and be like."
Matthews and Marner are entering their ninth seasons in Toronto.
"It's something special for sure," observed Hakanpää. "You can just tell. You can see how they find each other on the ice. I've just been here for a short time, but I feel like even off the ice they have that little something special, like, that connection."
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The dynamic is a bit different for the pair of core players this season. For Matthews, he is serving as captain for the first time.
"He doesn't look like there's any pressure or anything like that," Marner said. "That's what you want. He's excited to be the captain of this team and it's not weighed him down at all and not, you know, weighed on his mind. So, that's something you love to see and something that you know our whole team's got to really portray."
When the Leafs roster was read aloud to the fans at Wednesday's practice, Matthews was at the end of the list and introduced as the captain.
"It doesn't feel too different, honestly," the Arizona native said. "I think it's probably more symbolic than anything. Coming into camp every year, I think you just try to continue to get better and evolve and then take steps in different areas, whether it's on the ice or off the ice."
The dynamic is also different for Marner, who is entering the final season of his current contract.
"He's come into camp really focused," Matthews said. "He looks good. Obviously very motivated. I think everybody is [motivated] coming in here."
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Connor Dewar practised in a regular sweater on Wednesday. The forward, who underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason, had been skating in a red, no-contact sweater previously.
Veteran forwards Tavares and Calle Jarnkrok were full participants in practice for the first time since sustaining lower-body injuries.
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Special teams units at Wednesday's practice:
PP1
Rielly, Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander
PP2
Ekman-Larsson, Domi, Robertson, Pacioretty, Knies
Cowan rotated in
5-on-3
Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander, Domi
Defence pairs at Wednesday's practice:
Rielly - Tanev
Ekman-Larsson - McCabe
Benoit - Timmins
Rifai - Liljegren
Hakanpää
The team did not do any drills with full forward lines on Wednesday.