Jani Hakanpaa: Craig Berube Explains the Reason Behind His Mysterious Disappearance

A lot of hype and criticism came with the signing of Jani Hakanpaa for the Maple Leafs this offseason, and while he was meant to be a big part of a revamped defense, the Finnish behemoth has only skated twice before landing back on the Injury Reserve for unknown reasons.

He hadn't skated, and the reason for Hakanpaa's disappearance led many fans to speculate whether or not this was the end of the season for the defenseman.

Craig Berube tried to quell those rumors and explained that Hakanpaa ended up getting a procedure done to help his lingering issues:

It's a tad concerning that his knee issues have flared up again but it Toronto and Berube are confident that the defenseman can come back without any problems that can only be good news for the team.

Signed to a one-year deal this offseason after originally committing to a two-year deal that went unofficial due to rightful concerns about his knee issues. They looked to be in the past but being back in game, clearly something was still bothering him.

Toronto would love to have him healthy though, as the towering Finnish defender is one of the league's preeminent shutdown players when healthy and uses his long reach and massive frame to not only disrupt opponents but make them feel something a little bit extra after getting hit.

Oh and Hakanpaa's also not shy about dropping the gloves either, another big plus in the Berube handbook.

For his career, Hakanpaa has played for four teams including Toronto (Anaheim, Carolina, Dallas) and while he only has 45 points in 290 games, his value lies in his defense and physicality where he averages nearly 130 blocks and 254 hits per 82-game average.

He was also just recently named to Team Finland as well as part of the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament that happens in February.

Jani Hakanpaa's health always needs to come first, and if the Finnish defenseman finally gets his knee issues sorted out, and can put the last year behind him, not only will he become more dangerous, but it'll help Toronto's elite defense become even better.