Toronto Maple Leafs Defenseman to Miss First 11 Games of the Season

The Maple Leafs are a couple of days away from having the regular season kick-off against the Montreal Canadiens, and the anticipation is as high as ever; with their heated rivalry just the start of what is set to be another exciting and nerve-racking NHL season.

So with that comes roster moves to clear up some cap space, and the team will be without one of their key signings this summer, at least for the first ten or so games as Jani Hakanpaa was placed on LTIR by the Maple Leafs on Monday.

He joins Connor Dewar, Dakota Mermis, and Calle Jarnkrok as they recover from their injuries as the season rolls on. Dewar is recovering from a shoulder injury that required surgery, and Jarnkrok is dealing with an unspecified lower-body injury that's kept him out of action and practices for a couple of weeks. Mermis recently underwent surgery and is going to be out for a few months; so the injuries are slowly already piling up for Toronto.

Hakanpaa, a 6'7 defender from Finland was signed by Toronto to solidify their new game plan and use size, intimidation and shutdown defense as a method of controlling the game as opposed to fully offensive. His metrics over the past few seasons have been elite and using his length and ability to read offenses like a quarterback gives him the advantage to get out of the defensive zone and let the rest of the team do the offensive heavy lifting. He fits the mold of GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube's strategy, and although he's on the wrong side of 30, would still be a massive piece of a long Maple Leafs playoff run if healthy.

It's a gamble to spend money on a defenseman who has lingering knee issues, especially at the height of Hakanpaa, however Treliving trusts the medical staff and trainers on the Maple Leafs payroll to do right by Hakanpaa and get him game-ready before you know it. It's a risk that has a high reward but could find the Maple Leafs handicapped a bit if they don't end up playing their coveted shutdown D-man.