Would be a solid acquisition, but they shouldn't trade Topi unless they don't think he'll end up being a top 4 D. Larsson (if he signs an extension) might be the solution for the next 3 to 4-years which isn't too bad but it's not very long either. With the few picks and prospects in the cupboard, it's not going to be very sustainable to make these types of moves. There's also no guarantee that Larsson does indeed sign an extension.

I don't think SEA retains anything on him though for that package. They would probably offer to take back a contract like Jarnkrok or Kampf instead to add to the value of the package that they get and they would likely add like a 4th or 5th or C-prospect.

Larsson is 31, he's not a long term solution

Yep, that's the problem with giving up those assets for him. Good summary.

I think you didn't realise Larsson isn't a rental either
I don't see Niemela becoming a solid top 4 dman in the NHL
But fair deal anyway for Larsson

I love this would love to see it go through

No, I did see that he wasn't a rental but he only has one year left beyond this season. I don't think it's a fair deal, and if the Leafs management/development department are in agreement with you about Niemela, then it makes perfect sense to deal with him instead of a pick. I would rather they trade some other prospect and a pick, because I think it's too early to move on from Niemela. He's looked good so far and he's still only 21, and any defenseman that they likely draft going forward will likely require 5+ years to even crack the NHL roster, let alone become a top 4 D. With the aging blueline and the prevalent need the Leafs have on the backend, that's too long imo. Niemela might need like 3-6 years before he becomes a top 4D but I think he can make it.

Look at the list of players to be named the top defenceman at the world juniors and tell me Niemela isn't going to be at the very least a solid NHLer

How many top 4 dman in the NHL are 160 lbs ? I know he won't stay at 160, but he is already 21 yo, 5'11 and still super light. It's gonna be hard for him winning puck battles against top lines at the NHL level

He's already bigger than that. Latest news has him at 6 feet and 175. He's going to keep growing.

That's way better than, anyway I think he is a good prospect, just not a lock to be a top4 RHD in the NHL

I personally don’t see Niemela becoming a top 4 D. I see him being a bottom pair guy that plays power plays. Kind of like Tyson Barrie, Timmins, Klingberg was. My opinion of course as I haven’t seen him play on the defensive side of the puck. But I don’t like that he is undersized and not physical.

If you are named top defenceman at the world juniors, you are likely going to be a very good defenceman. The list is long and almost all end up being very good players.

From what I hear of Niemela, he's not a PP1 QB type, he's definitely a TWD, maybe can play PP2. I also wouldn't call Barrie and especially Klingberg bottom pair guys. Barrie when he used to produce is a top 4 guy that a deep team would put on their 3rd pairing similar to what NJ did with Severson last year except that Barrie is more of a PP1 QB specialist. Klingberg is/was a top 4, even on a deep team that guy would be expected to be able to play heavy minutes since he was arguably a top 2 at his peak (even though his defensive issues were always a problem). Like Barrie, Klingberg made for a good PP1 QB but he definitely wasn't expected to just be a specialist playing 20+ minutes He did end up on the Leafs 3rd pairing but he was playing injured, and he is now 31. So, even Niemela ends up being the next Klingberg would be worth while keeping him. But again, Niemela has a different profile, if he's ends up being a 3rd pairing guy, it would be for his defense more than anything probably.

The Leafs need defensive dman, they aren't winning in the playoffs because their D get pushed around or can't play defense
But they need good stay at home dman, unlike Justin Holl lol
Brodie was a great signing
Bringing McCabe was a good move
They just need a top4 stay at home RHD who plays defense first and physical

Brodie is really a TWD, the Leafs just have had him during the time his offensive production ended up dwindling. He's not very physical either, so I imagine that's what Niemela could end up being like or more like Lilljegren, who was expected to be an OFD, but has been more like a DFD. Liljegren, is more physical than Brodie, I would still consider him a TWD since he can move the puck, and perhaps his offensive production is soon to come, but he's a defensive first guy, just not a stay-at-home guy.

Niemela isn't going to make an impact on the NHL anytime soon, and maybe never anyway, so the Leafs can get their physical defense first guy now, it's just a matter of whether or not they ship Niemela to do so. They need a guy that can move the puck in their top 4D, the stay-at-home guy needs to be stuck on the 3rd line. The problem with Holl was that he was just playing too many minutes.