#2 Tomas Kaberle
Nobody ever expected Tomas Kaberle to do what he did for Toronto. Drafted 204th overall in the 1996 draft, Kaberle was never expected to be anything special…but he was.
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Known for playing a strong two-way game, Kaberle was able to produce offensively for the Leafs, while being able to keep the puck out of his own net as well. He was the cornerstone to Toronto’s defense for 12 years.
He also showed that you do not need to be a physical player in order to be a good defenseman. With only 260 PIM in 984 career games, Kaberle played a very toned back game compared to a lot of other players. With that being said, that was what made him so effective. By not spending more time in the box, he was able to be out on the ice helping his team.
He did not need to play a rough game because he played smart, he knew how to position himself correctly to force players into the corner or to shoot from farther out. I do not like using +/- as a stat but he was a +17 over his entire career despite playing for some really bad Toronto teams.
With a total of 83 goals, 437 assists for 520 points in 878 games with the Leafs, Kaberle is second all-time in assists by a defenseman with the Leafs. Overall, he was a well-rounded player and he deserves to be second on this list.