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Jani Hakanpää To Undergo Knee Surgery

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Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpää is slated for offseason knee surgery, general manager Jim Nill said Thursday morning. The 31-year-old defensive stalwart missed four playoff games, including Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Final, with a lower-body injury.

Nill also mentioned Hakanpää was dealing with a separate back injury during the postseason, which will not require further action. While the team hasn’t confirmed his recovery timeline, don’t expect the 6-foot-7, 220-pound Finn to be ready for training camp in September.

Dallas’ shutdown pairing of Hakanpää and his fellow countryman, Esa Lindell, was among the most-used pairings in the league this season. They spent nearly 1,000 minutes paired together during the regular season and were the only pairing to see the ice together in all 82 games, per MoneyPuck.

The physical defensive specialist developed into a legitimate top-four defender in 2022-23, recording career-highs in nearly every category. While averaging over 19 minutes per game, Hakanpää recorded 16 points and a +18 rating in all 82 games.

It’s been a very long path to the NHL for Hakanpää, and hopefully, he can return to form for the Stars after fully recovering. Originally part of the St. Louis Blues’ 2010 draft class, Hakanpää didn’t make his NHL debut until nearly a decade later, playing five games at the tail end of the 2019-20 season with the Anaheim Ducks.

He’s made strong defensive impacts since, playing over 200 games during the past few seasons with the Ducks, Stars, and Carolina Hurricanes. He’s locked in at a $1.5MM cap hit for next season and is slated for unrestricted free agency in 2024.

If Hakanpää is not available to start the regular season, expect more opportunities for youngster Nils Lundkvist to begin 2023-24. The 22-year-old stayed in the NHL full-time this year, recording 16 points in 60 games, but was a healthy scratch for the entirety of Dallas’ run to the Western Conference Final.

Nill also told reporters that pending UFA forward Evgenii Dadonov, who left in the first period of Dallas’ Game 3 loss to Vegas, sustained a Grade 2 MCL strain in his knee and likely would not have played in the Stanley Cup Final, had Dallas advanced. The 34-year-old found new life in Dallas after coming over near the trade deadline from the Montreal Canadiens, recording seven goals and 25 points in 39 combined regular season and playoff games.

Snapshots: Panthers Injuries, Johansson, Dadonov

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It appears the Florida Panthers won’t be without Radko Gudas in their lineup for too long. After leaving Game 2 (which he was already doubtful for with a separate injury) of the Stanley Cup Final after a hard hit from Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice expects Gudas to be ready for Game 3 tomorrow night.

Both Gudas and winger Eetu Luostarinen, who hasn’t played at all in this series, were absent from Panthers practice this morning. Luostarinen isn’t expected to return for Game 3 but remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Box stats say Gudas has only played a marginal role in Florida’s storybook run, playing just 17 minutes a game and registering three assists, but his physical style and game-changing hits have propelled the Panthers to some key moments in this postseason. That’s not to discount his actual defensive play — which has been, along with his partner Josh Mahura, the best of Florida’s three usual pairings.

More from around the NHL today:

  • Earlier in the offseason, SHL club Färjestad BK announced they had signed pending Colorado Avalanche UFA netminder Jonas Johansson, bringing him back to his home country. Less than a month later, however, they’ve already terminated the deal, citing Johansson’s belief he could get another NHL opportunity before 2023-24 begins. While the road has been rocky for the 27-year-old Swede, Johansson had his best pro season to date in 2022-23, playing a career-high 26 AHL games after bouncing up and down between leagues and recording a .920 save percentage.
  • The Anaheim Ducks attempted to acquire Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2022 trade deadline but failed due to Vegas not properly handling Dadonov’s no-trade clause — which listed Anaheim as a team he could not be dealt to. The deal was nullified by the league as a result, and now the Ducks are requesting a compensatory draft pick from the league, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He says the league is considering granting the Ducks’ request, which could likely see them gain an additional pick in this year’s draft, bringing their total number of picks to 10.

Patrick Kane Undergoes Hip Surgery, Out 4-6 Months

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Pending unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane underwent a hip resurfacing procedure today, according to his agent, Pat Brisson. The expected recovery time is four to six months, which will keep Kane out for most of training camp at a minimum.

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, doctors are optimistic this won’t impact Kane’s career trajectory. This is the same procedure that Washington Capitals center Nicklas Bäckström underwent last offseason; he had 21 points in 39 games in 2022-23 after returning to play in January.

Kane has been dealing with hip issues for the past few seasons, but their severity evidently increased this season. Surgery was on the table as an option before his trade from the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers, and he recorded just 57 points, a career-low for him in a full season.

Hip resurfacing is similar to a hip replacement procedure but less invasive. Instead of entire parts of the hip being replaced with artificial components, only the damaged parts of the hip are trimmed away and replaced with a metal shell.

Given Kane’s age and the Rangers’ need to elevate their younger players in the lineup, it seemed rather unlikely the two parties would meet on an extension even without the recovery time from the surgery in the picture. The procedure now throws into question when (or if) a team will sign Kane – it’s not outlandish to predict he’ll still be looking for a home when the puck drops on the 2023-24 regular season.

The 34-year-old admitted early last month that he wasn’t fully healthy during the Rangers’ postseason run and would prioritize his healthy this offseason.

Drafted first overall in 2007, Kane has (assumedly) wrapped up his half-decade-plus-long career in Chicago with 446 goals and 1,225 points in 1,161 games. He had five goals and 12 points in 19 games down the stretch of the 2022-23 season with the Rangers.

Again, this doesn’t seem to be a career-ending procedure for Kane, but with the Rangers looking to maximize their competitiveness next season and Chicago focused on rebuilding, he’ll likely need to complete his recovery before donning a new uniform.

Capitals Notes: Draft Rights, Fehervary, Dowd, Sandin

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Many NHL-drafted but unsigned players are set to become free agents today if they don’t sign within the next four hours. Today, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir confirmed two Capitals prospects will hit the open market: Czech defenseman Martin Has and Canadian defender Dru Krebs.

Krebs, the brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs, was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. While he had a strong year in 2020-21 in limited action due to COVID, the 2021-22 campaign was nightmarish for him, finishing with just 19 points in 66 games with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and a staggering -58 rating. He rebounded nicely this season, but the 20-year-old’s flaws displayed after his draft year likely signal an NHL future isn’t in the cards.

Has, 22, was a member of Washington’s 2019 draft class. The fifth-round pick played unsigned in the Capitals organization this year, registering 12 points in 50 games as a member of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

  • Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan told reporters today that the team hasn’t begun speaking to pending restricted free agent defenseman Martin Fehervary about an extension yet, but “expects discussions to pick up soon.” Fehervary, Washington’s second-round pick in 2018, is coming off his entry-level deal. In his sophomore season with the Caps, the 23-year-old consistently played a top-four role and posted 16 points in 67 games.
  • MacLellan also said center Nic Dowd underwent core surgery recently, aiming to fix an ailment that was bugging him near the end of the season. Dowd is expected to recover in time for training camp in September. The 33-year-old bottom-six center has two seasons remaining at a cap hit of $1.3MM and is coming off a career-high 13 goals.
  • Lastly, in more positive news for Washington, MacLellan revealed the injury Swedish defenseman Rasmus Sandin sustained near the end of this year’s Men’s World Championship isn’t serious and carries no long-term concern. Sandin was electric for Washington after coming over from Toronto near the end of the season, posting 15 points in 19 games and averaging nearly 23 minutes per game. The 23-year-old former first-round pick will look to step into a consistent top-four role with the Caps next season, potentially alongside John Carlson.

IIHF Notes: Hall of Fame, Latvia, Bear

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Earlier this morning, the IIHF officially inducted their 2023 Hall of Fame class, including former NHL stars such as Brian Leetch, Henrik Zetterberg, and Cristobal Huet. Also included in the induction: Sandra Dombrowski (official), Jimmy Foster (player), Kalervo Kummola (builder), Caroline Ouellette (player), Viktor Szelig (player), and Kimmo Leinonen (builder).

Although much is well known about their individual and team successes in the NHL, Leetch, Zetterberg, and Huet performed extremely well internationally as well. From 1987-2004, Leetch played in two World Championships, two World Cup of Hockey events, and three Olympic Games, scoring 41 points in 55 total games. In 1996, as he was captain of Team USA, Leetch helped the Americans to a gold medal in that year’s World Cup of Hockey.

Zetterberg, coming from Sweden, also played in quite a few international events, including four Olympic Games. In his second attempt in 2006, Zetterberg was able to help lead Team Sweden to a gold medal in the Turin, Italy Winter Olympics. Throughout his international career, spanning from 2001-2014 at the professional level, Zetterberg played in 73 international games, scoring 17 goals and 38 assists.

Going down as likely one of, if not the best hockey player to ever come out of France, Huet spent many years between the pipes for the French national team. Unfortunately, throughout his rather lengthy international career, Team France was only able to qualify for two Olympic Games, in 1998 and 2002. In 87 career games on the international scene, Huet racked up a total of 4,589 minutes played, adding six total shutouts for Team France.

Other notes:

  • Earlier this morning, winning their first IIHF tournament medal in their country’s history, Team Latvia beat Team USA in overtime. Kristians Rubins, who is currently playing for the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL, scored both the game-tying goal and the game-winning goal, awarding Latvia the bronze medal. In the championship, Team Canada will face off against Team Germany.
  • Rick Dhaliwal of the Vancouver Athletic reports that defenseman Ethan Bear has missed the last two games for Team Canada due to an upper-body injury. Bear, who will be a restricted free agent for the Vancouver Canucks this offseason, will return to Vancouver to be re-evaluated by team staff.

Hurricanes Notes: UFAs, Noesen, Svechnikov

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The Carolina Hurricanes had one of the most shocking playoff exits in recent memory, swept out of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers after dropping just three games in the first two rounds combined. The combination of key injuries and some outstanding performances from star Panthers left them searching for answers again.

Now, with free agency right around the corner, news poured out of the Hurricanes’ locker cleanout day:

  • It started with captain Jordan Staal, who explained that he doesn’t plan to play anywhere but Carolina next season. The pending UFA will be 35 before the 2023-24 campaign kicks off, but loves being a Hurricane and wants to come back. He even went so far as to say that he wants to finish his career in Carolina.
  • Frederik Andersen, a pending free agent, also wants to return. That’s his “priority” as the two-year deal he signed in 2021 comes to an end. Both Andersen and fellow veteran goaltender Antti Raanta are set to hit the open market, while Pyotr Kochetkov’s new four-year deal kicks in.
  • There was also some injury news, though, with Stefan Noesen explaining that he suffered a grade three shoulder separation. Fortunately, it isn’t expected to require surgery, meaning he’ll be ready for the start of next year. Noesen, 30, finally found a home in Carolina, scoring 13 goals and 36 points in 78 games.
  • Andrei Svechnikov, who had to watch the entire playoff run after suffering a serious knee injury, was optimistic about his recovery timeline and told reporters he’d be on the ice in a month. His absence was certainly felt in the Florida series, after scoring 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games this season.

Evgenii Dadonov Out For Game 4

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The Dallas Stars will officially be without winger Evgenii Dadonov as they try to stave off a sweep tonight, head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed to reporters.

Luckily, the team will avoid a third absence tonight in addition to Dadonov and suspended captain Jamie Benn. Joe Pavelski was also absent from this morning’s skate, but DeBoer said it was for maintenance reasons only.

Yesterday, DeBoer said Dadonov’s status for tonight’s Game 4 was doubtful. Dadonov left Dallas’ Game 3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights after colliding with teammate Roope Hintz. He sustained a lower-body injury on the play.

Without Dadonov in the fold, it’s expected both Joel Kiviranta and Fredrik Olofsson will draw into the lineup as the team also deals with Benn’s absence. It would be Olofsson’s playoff debut, so it’s a possibility defenseman Colin Miller draws into the lineup instead, and the Stars only ice 11 forwards.

Dadonov has been as effective as hoped for since Dallas acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens late in the season. The 34-year-old veteran has 10 points in 16 games, tied for sixth on the team in scoring with defenseman Miro Heiskanen. He also notched 15 points in 23 regular-season games down the stretch with Dallas.

Injury Updates: Barkov, Dadonov, Howden

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Florida Panthers team captain Aleksander Barkov has been given the green light to hit the ice in tonight’s potentially series-clinching Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, head coach Paul Maurice said today. Barkov’s status update comes after he missed most of Florida’s 1-0 Game 3 win, sustaining a lower-body injury on a first-period hit from Hurricanes forward Jack Drury.

The 27-year-old Finnish center’s leadership and two-way acumen have proven invaluable to the team’s success, displayed most recently by a highlight-reel goal in Game 2. His four goals and eight assists for 12 points are third on the team in playoff scoring behind linemate Carter Verhaeghe and Hart Trophy finalist Matthew Tkachuk.

The 2021 Selke Trophy winner will log heavy minutes tonight as he looks to advance to the first Stanley Cup Final of his career.

Jani Hakanpaa To Miss Game One

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As the Western Conference Finals begin this evening, the Dallas Stars will be out a defenseman, as Tracey Myers of the NHL reports that Jani Hakanpaa will miss Game One, and Colin Miller will take his place in the lineup. Hakanpaa has not played since Game Six against the Seattle Kraken, and may still be out with the lower-body injury that hampered him during that semifinal series.

This will be the third game that Hakanpaa has missed for the Stars so far this playoffs but has proven to be a serviceable defenseman when he has played. In 11 games in this postseason, Hakanpaa has scored one goal and one assist, averaging nearly 21 minutes a night in the process.

Miller, who will be replacing Hakanpaa in the lineup against the Vegas Golden Knights, managed to play in five games for Dallas when they took on the Kraken. In their previous series, Miller added one assist, averaging just over 15 minutes a game.

The Stars’ ability to replace a player in their lineup with seemingly a similar caliber player is a testament to the depth that this team has put together. With currently eight defensemen on their playoff roster, Dallas has built up a formidable blueline staff and is a major reason for their progression in this year’s playoffs.

West Notes: Lehner, Burakovsky, Iginla

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One name oft forgotten in the Vegas Golden Knights goalie carousel this season is Robin Lehner, who spent the entire 2022-23 campaign on long-term injured reserve. After missing the tail end of the 2021-22 campaign with a significant shoulder injury, it was actually off-season hip surgery that kept Lehner out for the year.

The Swedish netminder remains one of the best around when healthy, but Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon today didn’t have any update on Lehner’s status moving forward. McCrimmon noted Lehner is still undergoing rehab on both of his hips, but didn’t have a recent update on his progress. Lehner’s absence hasn’t hindered the Golden Knights much this season, and he could be a trade candidate if he does get healthy to clear some cap space. The 2019 Vezina Trophy nominee is locked in at a $5MM cap hit through 2025, making him an affordable option for a team in need of a starting netminder.

  • Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis offered some clarity today on the injury that kept star winger Andre Burakovsky out of the lineup down the stretch of the season. Per Francis, Burakovsky tore his groin on his first shift after the All-Star break and suffered multiple setbacks in his recovery, sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. The 28-year-old was having a spectacular first season in Seattle before the injury, scoring 39 points in 49 games in a top-six role.
  • After selecting him in 12th overall in last week’s WHL Prospects Draft, the Edmonton Oil Kings have officially brought 14-year-old Joe Iginla, son of Calgary Flames legend Jarome Iginla, into the organization on a scholarship and development agreement. Iginla posted monster numbers at the U15 level this season with his dad coaching, scoring 65 points in 27 games, and even got some looks in U16 and U17 play. Iginla is not NHL draft eligible until 2026 and is not expected to join the Oil Kings until the 2024-25 season.

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