Leafs’ Jani Hakanpaa ruled out of 4 Nations Face-Off due to knee injury

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Saturday that defenseman Jani Hakanpaa will not participate in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off due to an ongoing knee injury.

The 32-year-old Finnish rearguard has made just a pair of appearances on the season in which he has recorded two shots and a minus-one rating. Hakanpaa has also seen two games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies as part of a conditioning stint.

Joining the Maple Leafs this past offseason as an unrestricted free agent, Hakanpaa spent the past three campaigns with the Dallas Stars. Through 64 games in 2023-24, Hakanpaa registered two goals and 10 assists for 12 points coupled with 33 penalty minutes and a plus-10 rating.

Originally chosen in the fourth round of the 2010 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues, Hakanpaa has seen 290 career contests counting stops with the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Stars, and Maple Leafs in which he has totaled 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points. The 6-foot-7 rearguard has also collected four points through 33 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Per PuckPedia, Hakanpaa carries a $1.47-million annual average value and can become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Internationally, Hakanpaa has previously represented Finland at the 2019 IIHF World Championship where through 10 outings he posted one goal and one assist for two points en route to a gold-medal finish. Hakanpaa also won bronze with Finland at the 2010 Under-18 World Championship.

Hakanpaa’s withdrawal from the 4 Nations Face-Off follows Thursday’s announcement that fellow Finnish rearguard Miro Heiskanen of the Stars will not participate in the tournament as he is sidelined on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury.

The inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off will take place February 12-20, co-hosted by Boston and Montreal. The tournament will see Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States compete for supremacy.