Former Stars Defenseman Nearing Return To Action With New NHL Team

Former Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa has been on the sidelines to begin the current NHL season, but he's about to be cleared for action with his new team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As per THN.com's Maple Leafs team site, Hakanpaa is on the verge of being activated from Long-Term Injured Reserve, where he's been since the beginning of the 2024-25 regular season as he dealt with a serious knee injury. The 32-year-old blueliner signed a one-year, $1.47-million contract with the Leafs in September after spending the past three seasons with the Stars.

Related: No surgery for Hakanpää, ready to start the season

Hakanpaa -- famous for his penalty-killing skills -- will slot in on Toronto's third pairing when he's ready to resume regular-season action. His partner is likely to be fellow rugged D-man Simon Benoit, a familiar face for him as the two were teammates on the American League's San Diego Gulls in 2019-20.

Hakanpaa's changing status probably will mean the end of blueliner Timothy Liljegren's time in Toronto, as Liljegren has been a healthy scratch for all but one of the Leafs' 10 games. But for Hakanpaa, the chance to play on an above-average team made it easier to leave the Stars behind. And time will tell if the Leafs were right to take a chance on him, or whether Dallas made a good decision in allowing Hakanpaa to move on.

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