Maple Leafs Lose One of Their Top Defensive Prospects Ahead of the 2025-26 Season

In the summer of 2023, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev departed the Maple Leafs organization to sign a contract in the KHL, where he remains.

In May, as Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving replenished the Leafs' prospect cupboards with players that fit his mold, it was reported that three current Toronto Marlies were joining Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga for next season.

Early Monday morning, it was revealed that another Maple Leafs defenseman is set to depart for yet another European club.

According to Elite Prospects, promising defensive prospect Topi Niemela has signed a one-year deal with Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League.

A third-round pick from the 2020 draft, Niemela joined the Leafs organization at the end of the 2022-23 season, skating in 6 games with the Toronto Marlies before spending the past two full seasons in the AHL.

With the emergence of William Villeneuve, Mikko Kokkonen and the additions of Cade Webber and Matt Benning, Niemela found himself fighting for ice-time, despite skating in 61 games last season.

Although he is headed overseas for the 2025-26 season, the Leafs will retain Niemela's rights as long as they issue him a qualifying offer by June 30th.

The 6'0, 181-pound, right-shot Finnish defenseman put up a respectable 39 points in his first full season in the AHL, but regressed significantly to registering just 22 points this past season.

Not a typical Brad Treliving defenseman, the Leafs are in need of younger, puck-moving blueliners, so it would be surprising to see the Leafs not qualify him by the deadline despite him not fitting the traditional mold of player Treliving prefers.