Maple Leafs Expected to Use Young, Smooth-Skating Defenseman as Trade Bait
Photo credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
The Maple Leafs don't have a ton of quality young assets to trade, but one Marlies defenseman has reportedly landed on the Leafs' trading block ahead of the deadline.
The NHL's March 7th trade deadline is fast approaching, and with the team expected to try to acquire an upgrade at center, it's going to take some valuable trade chips if they want that upgrade to be a good one.
Drafted by the Leafs in the third round of the 2020 draft, Finnish defenseman Topi Niemela fit the mold of the type of player former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas preferred.
Although he isn't the fastest defender on the ice, Niemela is a smooth skater and has shown glimpses of his high hockey IQ since being drafted. In his first season with the Marlies last year, the now 22-year-old registered 39 points in 68 games.
Unfortunately, he has been less productive this season, posting 12 points in 32 games thus far and has fallen down the depth chart in the Leafs organization as Brad Treliving prefers big, physical defensemen over a player like Niemela.
Daily Faceoff's prospect guru Steven Ellis released a list of nine prospects from around the league who are likely to be dealt at or ahead of this year's trade deadline. Niemela was listed among them, joining the likes of Simon Nemec, Brendan Brisson and Rutger McGroarty.
"Niemelä has been one of Toronto's top prospects for about half a decade now, but he still hasn't seen any NHL action to date. Under GM Brad Treliving, the team has looked to add grit and size to the back end, so the six-foot Niemelä has been slightly lost in the shuffle," wrote Ellis. "He has also taken a step back production-wise with the Marlies while not showing a ton of progress with and without the puck, either. But there are still many who think Niemelä can be an NHL defenseman. A fantastic showing during the two-game series against the Montreal Canadiens in September turned some heads, which is nice. Niemelä doesn't have explosive speed and isn't outstanding in any other skill. Instead, he beats defenders with his play-reads and ability to get the puck out of the zone. The Leafs should be willing to move on from him at the deadline, even if Niemelä wouldn't bring back the type of impact player that Easton Cowan would."
Despite being a member of the Maple Leafs organization for almost five years, he only made the move to North America last season. After a productive rookie campaign, Niemela has fallen behind the likes of Cade Webber, Marshall Rifai, Mikko Kokkonen and others on the depth chart.
An RFA at the end of the season, the Leafs will look to clear some of the log-jam on the back end to give incoming rookies Ben Danford and Noah Chadwick more opportunity when they inevitably make the jump to the pros.
As Ellis noted, Niemela won't bring in an impact player the way other assets will, but he could be a sweetener to any deal the Leafs make. The trade deadline is just over a month away, meaning that Niemela's future with the Leafs could be decided in very short order and will be something to keep an eye on.
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