After the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, there were 20 players on the Toronto Marlies roster whose contracts will expire this summer.
With the possibility of wide-sweeping personnel changes, it is more than a little difficult to predict most of the players’ futures in the organization confidently. With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive into the upcoming free agents, whom I’ve categorized by contract status.
RFA (Arbitration Eligible)
Dennis Hildeby
An injury and NHL call-ups limited ice-time opportunity in a topsy-turvy 2024-25 campaign for the big Swedish netminder. His body of work with Toronto — 73 AHL games of ~.910 hockey, six NHL appearances — allied with the fact he’s still just 23 years of age and plays a position where development can take its sweet time, leads me to believe he’ll be offered a short-term contract.
Cédric Paré
I expected more from Paré’s all-around play and offensive output this past season. The centerman flattered to deceive on occasion but rarely put his stamp on games, although he was an effective penalty killer at times. I don’t foresee the Leafs qualifying the Quebec native, but I could picture a scenario where an AHL deal might be offered.
Reese Johnson
Acquired via trade in the first week of March, injury limited Johnson to six games with the Marlies. Toronto will likely move on from Johnson this summer.
Mikko Kokkonen
As sure as I am about the future of the three previous players, I‘m less certain about Mikko Kokkonen‘s. He was fine-to-solid throughout the season, but his development has stalled. As a partial defense, he hasn’t seen consistent ice time during John Gruden’s tenure and battled injury this season. He’s decent at both ends of the ice but doesn’t excel in any one aspect of the game. He may be offered a one-year ‘show me’ type deal, but I equally wouldn’t be surprised if Toronto moved on and Kokkonen wound up back in Europe.
RFA
Topi Niemelä
In early March, a Swedish media outlet reported that the 23-year-old verbally agreed to sign with Luleå Hockey. According to his agent, Mika Rautakallio, via The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke, the defenseman was “100 per cent committed to playing in North America.” Roll forward to June, and Topi Niemelä has penned a one-year deal with the Malmö Redhawks.
Healthy scratches limited the defenceman to 61 regular-season appearances, and in most of those games, he was shifted away from top-pair or even top-four minutes. Niemelä certainly didn’t reach the heights achieved in his rookie season in terms of performance, but I didn’t foresee him getting scratched for 20% of the games this season. There may be an issue behind the scenes that we aren’t privy to, although average-sized defensemen are certainly not in vogue in the Brad Treliving administration in general. Still, it feels odd to give up so early on a prospect with some promising skills. It’s possible that the strides taken by William Villeneuve as an RHD on the farm made the Leafs more comfortable letting Niemelä depart.
Toronto retains the NHL rights, but a return to North America seems highly unlikely in the near future.
William Villeneuve
Coming off a career-high season in goals, assists, and points, it’s a no-brainer that Toronto will qualify the 6’2 right-hander. The 23-year-old found another gear in the second half of the 2024-25 season and finished with 40 points in 55 games off the backend. If I had to make a prediction, it would be a two-year deal with Toronto.
Roni Hirvonen
Roni Hirvonen is returning home on a one-year deal with Kärpät. His time in Toronto wasn’t smooth sailing, to say the least. The Finnish forward lost his father to cancer, suffered a concussion, and sustained a career-threatening eye injury. It should be noted that if Toronto chooses to qualify Hirvonen, they’ll hold his negotiation rights for another year.
UFA Group 6
Alex Steeves
Coming off the best season of his career in terms of performance and production, Steeves’ future is uncertain. The organization saw fit to give him a sniff at the NHL level, but nothing sustained.
Steeves could not have done more this season to convince management and Craig Berube that he was ready for an extended look in the show. There could be NHL teams willing to/in a position to give the winger a more honest NHL look than the ones he’s been handed in Toronto, so on the balance, the odds are he will leave. That said, Steeves loves life in Toronto, has excelled with the organization’s resources and development staff, and might be convinced to give it one more shot if the organization genuinely feels the player is still in its plans.
Nick Abruzzese
When Nick Abruzzese is on his game, he’s a fun player to watch, as witnessed down the stretch of the season when the winger went on an offensive tear. Unfortunately, there isn’t much substance to his game outside of some exceptional playmaking abilities at times. While Steeves has added a new physical edge and 200-foot commitment to his game, Abruzzese lacks the physicality and can be a liability defensively. I do not envision a scenario in which Abruzzese returns, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Harvard graduate is enticed by opportunities in Europe next season.
UFA
Matt Murray
Given the relative lack of experience and the injury concerns with the Leafs‘ NHL tandem, plus a lack of high-end prospects surging through the ranks, it’s not inconceivable that Murray returns for another season. The 31-year-old posted a .934 save percentage in 21 games for the Marlies and took on a leadership role in the room. The goaltending options in free agency look sparse, to say the least. After a cursory look, only Alex Lyon would offer any appeal as Toronto seeks a veteran number-three netminder.
Dakota Mermis
It was a tumultuous season for the experienced defenseman, who was claimed back on waivers by Toronto from Utah. Injury limited him to 32 games in the AHL, but the fact that Toronto opted to bring him back via the waiver wire after losing him the same way shows there is some affection for the player. There is always the possibility this relationship could be rekindled with a contract in the league-minimum range.
Nicolas Mattinen
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, but it was always a long shot, and Mattinen has signed back in the DEL with Adler Mannheim.
Alexander Nylander
The brotherly vibes were fun while they lasted, but Alex Nylander couldn’t live up to the NHL contract Toronto signed him to during the season when injuries struck. He blew hot and cold at the AHL level and didn’t dominate enough games nor provide the type of production the Marlies expected of him. If there is another opportunity for Alex in Toronto, it would come in the form of an AHL deal like last summer, but it’s conceivable that Nylander takes the European route.
AHL Free Agents
Robert Mastrosimone
My guess is that Toronto will bring back Robert Mastrosimone for a third season. He’s a plug-and-play utility forward who is happy to fulfill any role asked of him. His tenacity and work ethic have made him a fixture in the lineup and a coach’s favourite.
Zach Solow
Signed with Adler Mannheim.
Sam Stevens
Another player whose season was blighted by injury, Stevens — when healthy — failed to impress outside of two games against San Diego. With the addition of players such as Luke Haymes and Ryan Kirwan, Toronto could pass on the forward this summer.
Brandon Baddock
An enforcer brought in to negate the loss of Kyle Clifford, Baddock made a solid contribution late in the campaign in limited opportunities, but I highly doubt he returns to Toronto.
Joseph Blandisi
Blandisi is an integral part of the Toronto Marlies organization on and off the ice. He’ll turn 31 in July, but there is plenty of good hockey left in the veteran forward. Toronto will require a veteran presence on the roster again, and Blandisi fits the bill with the intangibles to go with a respectable offensive output. I’d be surprised if the team and player part ways this summer.
Kyle Clifford
The 34-year-old featured in just 17 games during a 2024-25 season maligned by injury. Retirement and a role in coaching appear to be the future for Clifford, although that is unconfirmed at the time of writing.
Tommy Miller
The stay-at-home defenseman has stuck around in Toronto for three seasons despite very limited upside. The organization has an affinity for the 26-year-old, but with a collection of blue-line prospects looking to step in, including Chas Sharpe, it would make sense if the Miller tenure ended this summer.
