As the Toronto Maple Leafs inch closer to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, there’s cautious optimism surrounding the status of the return of defenseman Jani Hakanpaa — but no guarantees.

The 6-foot-7 blueliner, who hasn’t played an NHL game since November 16 against the Edmonton Oilers, continues to skate with the team and move forward in his recovery from a lingering knee injury. On Friday, Hakanpaa took reps with the third defensive pair at practice, replacing the absent Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe.

“Pretty good spot right now, been making some good improvements. Getting back out there with the guys has been good,” said Hakanpaa after practice. “Slowly working our way towards playing again here.”

#Leafs lines during practice Apr. 11/25

Knies-Matthews-Marner
Jarnkrok-Tavares-Nylander
McMann-Domi-Robertson
Holmberg-Laughton-Lorentz
Pacioretty

Rielly-Carlo
Benoit-Tanev
Hakanpaa (LTIR)-Myers
Absent: OEL, McCabe (injuired)

Stolarz, Woll@BodogCA

— David Alter (@dalter) April 11, 2025

Hakanpaa was filling the void at Friday’s practice, but the Leafs are forced to go with five defensemen on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs do not have any salary cap room ($195,333) to call up an additional player with Jake McCabe (undisclosed) injured and forward David Kampf still out with an upper-body injury – as well as the new undisclosed injury to Ekman-Larsson.

The 33-year-old underwent minor knee surgery earlier this season in hopes of returning for the second half. He was officially placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on December 2, and despite steady progress over the past month – skating before or with the Leafs at practice – he remains ineligible to return.

Why The Maple Leafs Will Dress 5 Defensemen Against The Canadiens On SaturdayThe Toronto Maple Leafs will likely dress one player short when they host the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

Asked if he could suit up come playoff time, Hakanpaa remained hopeful but noncommittal.

“That’s a tough one to kind of say anything really,” Hakanpaa explained. “It’s been trending really good in the gym and on the ice, off the ice, everything. Hopefully, we'll get there; we’ll see.”

Head coach Craig Berube offered little clarity when asked about the status of both Hakanpaa and forward Max Pacioretty, who is also recovering from an injury, for the postseason.

“That I don’t know. I don’t have that answer for you. They’re still working away through things, so that’s all I know on that,” said Berube.

Back on April 1, Berube was slightly more optimistic about the outlook, noting that both players were actively working toward being healthy.

“It’s good that they’re out there,” Berube said at the time. “They’ve been working with our development crew and people back here skating and trying to get healthy. Hopefully, they can get healthy and be part of the team at some point.”

‘It’s Good That They’re Out There’: Max Pacioretty, Jani Hakanpaa, Return To Maple Leafs Practice Amid Long-Term Injury Absence The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to practice at Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday following their three-game California road trip, preparing for a divisional matchup against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.

Hakanpaa has had an up-and-down year, only suiting up for two games with the Maple Leafs this season and logging two conditioning stints with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies — going pointless in all four outings. He was initially named to Team Finland’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off but was forced to withdraw due to his recovery progress.

“It’s been up and down, highs and lows. It has the good parts to it, too,” said Hakanpaa of the season. “You just have to enjoy the little victories every day. Something feels really good; you can improve on something and really take a lot of joy in that.”

“Obviously, it’s been trying, but just trying to keep that positive mindset and cheer the boys on as much as I can when they’ve been here,” he added.

'I Don't Have A Timeline': Jani Hakanpaa Will Not Play For Finland At 4 Nations Sparking More Questions About His NHL FutureHakanpaa hasn't played since Nov. 16 and had a second knee procedure in early December.

As for how he’s feeling now, the Finnish defender says it’s a mix of good days and ongoing issues still preventing him from returning to full speed.

“It’s a little bit of both,” Hakanpaa admitted. There are a few things still there that I’d like to be a little better feeling on the ice, and other than that, just stringing good days together. Adding a little more load every day, adding a little more here and there, and then trying to string those good days, and make them good weeks into good months.”

Whether Hakanpaa gets a shot at playoff action remains to be seen. For now, he remains on the outside looking in, but seems to be trending in the right direction. However, a clear timeline has yet to come to the surface.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals play the first of back-to-back games this weekend, today at 12:30 PM.

The Blue Jackets survived another day after the Montréal Canadiens were beaten by the Ottawa Senators on Friday night. 

Today, the CBJ and Caps will play the first game of a home-and-home back-to-back, and the Jackets need to win the games. The Canadiens play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, so if the Jackets can get past the Caps, and the Leafs can beat the Habs, the CBJ will survive until Sunday. 

Just win, baby! 

Blue Jackets Stats

• Power Play - 19.7% - 22nd in NHL
• Penalty Kill - 76.1% - 25th in NHL
• Goals For - 247 - 11th - 3.17 GPG - 11th
• Goals Against - 265 - 26th - 3.40 GPG - 27th

Capitals Stats

• Power Play – 23.7% - 12th in NHL
• Penalty Kill – 81.6% - 6th in NHL
• Goals For - 280 – 1st – 3.59 GPG – 1st
• Goals Against – 212 – 8th – 2.72 GPG – 9th

Series History vs. The Capitals

• Columbus is 10-12-6 at home and 19-26-11 in 56 all-time meetings vs. the Capitals.
• The Jackets are 8-9-4 in the last 21 games at Capital One Arena. 

Who To Watch For The Capitals

• Dylan Strome leads the team with 51 assists and 77 points.
• Alex Ovechkin leads the Caps with 42 goals. 
• Charlie Lindgren is 19-13-3 with a SV% of .893. 

CBJ Player Notes vs. Capitals

• Boone Jenner has 12 points in 33 career games against Washington.  
• Zach Werenski has 9 points in 23 games.  
• Sean Monahan has 15 points in 22 games against the Capitals. 

Injuries

• Kevin Labanc (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve as of Feb. 21 and is out for the season (21 Games) 
• Elvis Merzlikins (upper body) has missed 1 game. 

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 312

How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on ABC, ESPN+. Sean McDonough will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.

Let us know what you think below.

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After a couple of days off, the Montreal Canadiens were taking on the Ottawa Senators on Friday night. They had an opportunity to officially punch their ticket for the Spring dance and sweep their Ontarian rivals. Unfortunately for Martin St-Louis, it became apparent that neither would happen early on.

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Learning To Win Is One Thing, But Learning To Be Ready Is Just As Important

The Canadiens had six wins in a row before Friday night’s game, but there’s one part of their game that they can never seem to get right: being ready for puck drop. St-Louis won’t complain that his team has developed a knack for third-period comebacks, but he must be fuming about those late starts as evidenced by his use of the word "unacceptable" when asked about yet another late start.

So far this season, the Canadiens have scored 64 goals in the first period and given up 82. They've given up 81 in the second and 83 in the third, so the issue is not how many they give up but how many they score. They put up 78 in the second and 84 in the third. Whatever the problem is, it must be addressed, and the sooner, the better. Since their previous game in Ottawa in February, the Canadiens have been outscored 17-7 in the first frame and only once they managed to keep their opponent from scoring in the first 20 minutes. 

The fact that they were unable to pull off the third-period comeback against the Sens is not a bad thing. It is much better to get this stern warning in the regular season than in the playoffs, which they will likely make, even though they could not seal the deal in this game. The coach often tells us that a considerable part of his job is selling his game plan to the players; this 5-2 loss will be a good selling point.

The Captain Since The Break

Since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Nick Suzuki has scored 35 points in 23 matches, four game-winning goals, at least two points in 11 of the 23 games, and has contributed to 47% of the Canadiens’ goals.

In Friday’s game, he scored his 29th goal of the season, leaving him one short of hitting 30 for a second season in a row. His career high is 33, which he hit last year. While he did end the game with a minus-three rating, and his line was dominated by Shane Pinto's unit, it's hard to criticize Suzuki, given how he has carried this team on his back for the last couple of months.

Séquence de 7 matchs avec au moins un point pour Nick 🔥

7-game point streak#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/O8uV9qDWKq

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 12, 2025

The fact that he went to his GM to plead the team’s case as the trade deadline was approaching shows great leadership. He will have earned even more respect from his teammates by not only doing this but also rising to the challenge given by Kent Hughes.

Time For A Change?

With this loss, perhaps it’s time for St-Louis to reintegrate Arber Xhekaj into the lineup. Sometimes, a big hit can bring a team to its senses. We’ll never know if it could have made a difference tonight, but we know that the gritty defenseman is eager to return.

Jayden Struble was the blueliner with the least ice time in the game and was guilty of two giveaways. If St-Louis does decide to make a change, he’ll be the most likely candidate for a night off. David Savard could probably use the rest, but his role on the penalty kill is crucial, and until the playoff spot is official, I wouldn’t be surprised if the coach felt he had to keep him.

While Michael Pezzetta has some limitations as a hockey player, he has none in the heart and dedication department. For a second time this week, he dropped the gloves to wake his team up. He struggled at the start of the fight but came out on top, doing what he could to pump up his teammates.

If Emil Heineman is ready for Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he should be inserted into the lineup. He applies excellent forecheck and can also contribute offensively.

The Habs will need to turn the page quickly and, as the coach often says himself, focus on what’s next.

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