Lindell, Hakanpää grow into consistent duo

The departure of John Klingberg to free agency in the summer sparked all sorts of questions about the Stars defense. Most notably, what would they do with Esa Lindell?
The veteran blueliner had long played beside Klingberg and was among the minute leaders on the team, so how would he adjust under a new coaching staff and with a new partner?
So far, so good.

Lindell has found a new partner in fellow Finn Jani Hakanpää, and the two have become a consistent shutdown pair.
"They're just a big, stinky, hard grouping to play against," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "They make it tough on the other team every night."
Wednesday was a perfect example. They played about 20 minutes, they each were plus-4, and they had points on two separate goals in a 4-1 win over Minnesota. Hakanpää scored his fifth goal of the season (a career high) on a tip when he went up ice with the top line. Lindell tallied his 10th assist of the season starting a transition play that ended in a Jamie Benn goal. It was a great example of everything the duo can do.
"They've been outstanding all year, and that's their type of game," DeBoer said of the physical Wild. "They love the contact, and they love the physicality of it. That's right up their alley. They were warriors out there. They were great."
Lindell is an alternate captain and one of the team's leaders at age 28. He was a third-round pick (74th overall) of the Stars in 2012 and is closing in on 500 games with the franchise (483). He has been among the leaders in time on ice for the team for years and was as high as 24:40 four years ago. Hakanpää, 30, was a fourth-round pick of the Blues back in 2010 and has bounced around the league a little. He was signed by the Stars as an unrestricted free agent in 2021 and was a depth defenseman at 16:13 in time on ice last season.
Lindell has taken a step back this season in ice time, averaging 19:56, down two minutes from last year, but Hakanpää has added three minutes of ice time per game. That doesn't happen often in the NHL, but it's working this year. DeBoer said assistant coach Alain Nasreddine decided to put the two together, and the result has been solid.
"Prior to the season, I'm not sure that I wrote those two down as partners even once in my mock lineup. That just goes to show you," DeBoer said. "Then Nas put them together and they've been outstanding."
While both grew up in Finland and are just two years apart in age, Lindell said they didn't really know each other growing up.
"We practiced one summer together before I came over, but that's kind of it," Lindell said.
Still, the two are good friends now and part of the "Finnish Mafia" on the Stars that includes Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Joel Kiviranta. DeBoer said he believes it has helped them talk things out and get on the same page as a pair.
Lindell said they play a similar game and talk a lot about their games.
"Just keep it simple. The structure that we play fits our game. Play fast, win battles, that's all," he said. "We have played together all season and I think it helps with the chemistry. We know each other and know which spots, where to go. I would say we are a lot the same."
Hakanpää, who also has played with Carolina and Anaheim, believes he has found a home in Dallas.
"It's working good," he said. "We keep it pretty simple. We try to do the small things right every game, and I think that's what's making us successful this year. We battle hard and try to help each other as much as we can. I think the chemistry has been good all year, but I think it's getting better all of the time. The more time we spend together, it's been nice. I've had him by my side almost the whole year, so you have time to talk things out and sort things out, because there are so many situations you face out there."
Because Heiskanen plays 25:19 a night, and because the other pairs have been shuffled under the new coaching staff, having Lindell and Hakanpää together has been a nice security blanket. Hakanpää is 6-6, 225 and right-handed. Lindell is 6-3, 220 and left-handed. There's a lot to like in that pairing.
"I like their consistency," DeBoer said. "We have some rules on breakouts and other things, and they're like soldiers. You tell them what to do and they're doing what you ask them to do every time. There's a real consistency to their game on top of the nastiness and the heaviness and the hardship they play with."
It's part of what makes them "stinky," and that's a good thing in coaching language.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.