Maple Leafs Player to Change Jersey Number for Upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off

While the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan was quick to point out that all of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner would be wearing their usual 34, 88, and 16, he also noted that Finland's Jani Hakanpaa was not given his usual #28 (Anaheim, Toronto) or his #2 (which he wore in Dallas). Instead, he was listed as #58 -- a number that he wore only briefly during his 15-game stint in Carolina in 2020-21.

Players can be pretty superstitious about things like stick tape, equipment and jersey numbers. Hakanpaa going with #58 might be because a 5 resembles an inverted 2. At any rate, it's not as though Hakanpaa has never worn the number before in his career.

The hulking defenseman taking part in the tournament at all is a bit of a hot-button topic among Maple Leafs fans, who are frustrated by the fact that he's played just 2 games for the Leafs all season.

Shouldn't the priority be for Hakanpaa to focus on getting healthy for the Maple Leafs? With his constant health issues this season, does it really make sense to have him play in a meaningless tournament, risking further injury? This one is a bit of a head-scratcher.