The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned injured players Jani Hakanpaa and Connor Dewar to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a part of the plan to make their season debuts. The Maple Leafs were able to do so under the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) AHL conditioning loan, which lasts a maximum of three games or six days. This conditioning loan allows players to get some game action under their belt before suiting up for NHL ice time.
The #leafs have assigned Jani Hakanpää and Connor Dewar to the AHL Marlies on an LTIR conditioning loan as they work their way back from knee and shoulder injuries, respectively.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) November 1, 2024
Those loan(s) can last for up to six days and three games.
The Maple Leafs signed Hakanpaa in the summer, but he was dealing with knee injuries. Hakanpaa underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and had begun the season on LTIR while Dewar had an offseason shoulder surgery.
The Maple Leafs signed Hakanpaa to a one-year, $1.47 million contract this offseason and Dewar was re-signed to a one-year, $1.18 million contract. Both players are expected to be important parts of the depth on this team, with Dewar having a good showing on the fourth line last season and Hakanpaa being a reliable defensive defenseman to bolster the blue line.
It is clear that the Maple Leafs were anticipating this, which likely led to the Timothy Liljegren trade happening when it did.
With Hakanpaa and Dewar getting up to three games each, they should have a good gauge of how they are feeling and if they need some more rehab time. Having surgery on the knee or shoulder can make for a tricky comeback as they are integral parts of being a successful player. The Maple Leafs’ front office and coaching staff will be tracking the two players closely to see how they are performing, but after an offseason with little training, missing the preseason and training camp, and starting the season late, it is fair to expect them to take a bit to catch up to speed with the rest of the team.
