Report: Maple Leafs Hakanpaa Could Be Done for Season; 3 Trade Options Named

After all the consternation over the summer about whether or not to go ahead with signing defenseman Jani Hakanpää despite a degenerative knee condition, the Toronto Maple Leafs bit the bullet and signed the 6'7" colossus D-man to a one-year, $1.47M deal, hoping that his knee would hold out.

So far, Hakanpää has played in just two games due to the condition, the last one in mid-November, and according to Jonas Siegel in The Athletic, he simply cannot be counted on the rest of the way.

Lingering issues with his knee threaten to swallow his season entirely.
Betting on him to not just be healthy when it matters, but effective in playoff terrain, feels like too dicey a proposition given how things have gone so far.

Siegel says the Leafs "will still hope" that the 32-year-old can come back, but he calls a Hakanpää revival "unlikely", and suggests a trio of targets for the Leafs to shoot for on the trade market:

Luke Schenn, Nashville Predators

Siegel lists Schenn as his first option, and this would be yet another reunion with the 35-year-old defender. He began his career with the Buds after they made him the 5th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. He spent four seasons in Toronto through 2011-12. They brought him back at the trade deadline in 2023, but that reunion lasted only 15 games plus 11 playoff contests.

Schenn posted a robust plus/minus of +8 in those 11 playoff games that year, and a pairing once again with Morgan Rielly would be a nice fit.

David Savard, Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens' veteran is a much-discussed trade option around the league this season, as he is a pending UFA and it's doubtful the Habs would re-up with the 34-year-old. He has been linked to the Leafs before, even though Toronto/Montreal trades are few and far between.

Cocy Ceci, San Jose Sharks

Another reunification project, Ceci's last time with the Leafs in 2019-20 wasn't all smooth sailing, so a reunion doesn't feel all that likely (though it's a different GM this time around, so who knows). He is also a pending UFA.