At age 31 and entering the last year of his contract, the Stars need a big year at the blue line from defenseman Jani Hakanpää.
The former fourth round pick of the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Draft from Kirkkonummi, Finland, waited until March 4, 2020, to make his NHL debut with the Anaheim Ducks. Hakanpää played 5 games with Anaheim before the NHL suspended the season due to COVID-19.
In the 56-game 2020-21 shortened season, Hakanpää got playing time with the Ducks. He played in 42 games before the Ducks traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes and he played in 15 games with the Hurricanes. Hakanpää played in all 11 of Carolina’s Playoff games in 2021.
(USA Today/Brace Hemmelgarn)
On July 29, 2021, the Stars signed Hakanpää on a three-year, $4.5 million contract. Hakanpää recorded 4 goals, 8 assists, +1 rating and 16:12 TOI in 80 games during the 2021-22 season with Dallas.
In 2022-23, Hakanpää’s numbers increased. He recorded 6 goals, 10 assists, +18 rating and 19:19 TOI. A 3:07 TOI increase from 2021-22. Hakanpää added 128 blocked shots and 224 hits during the 2022-23 season.
Hakanpää had one game winning goal in the 2022-23 season against the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 17, 2022. He had two game tying goals in the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 17, 2022, and against the Calgary Flames on March 18, 2023.
Paired with his fellow countryman Esa Lindell on defense, the pair spent nearly 1,000 minutes on the ice together during the regular season according to Money Puck.
However, during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hakanpää missed four games with injuries. Two of which were games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Finals vs the Vegas Golden Knights. Dallas lost both games in overtime.
(The Dallas Morning News/Tom Fox)
In the 2023 Playoffs, Hakanpää recorded 1 goal, 1 assist and -3 rating. He did see a 1:11 TOI increase from the 2022-23 regular season. Hakanpää was dealing with a lower-body injury and a separate back injury in the Playoffs.
On June 8, Stars general manager Jim Nill announced Hakanpää would undergo knee surgery in the offseason. While no recovery timeline has been announced for Hakanpää, it would be surprising if the 6-foot-6, 225-pound big Fin isn’t ready for the start of Stars training camp.
Hakanpää will turn 32 years old on March 31. With one more year left on his contract, Hakanpää looks to have an impactful season in Big D after undergoing knee surgery. He’s only missed two games in his two years in Dallas.
Leave a Reply