The Top-Five All-Time Best Toronto Maple Leafs Defensemen
Over the course of their 102-year history, the Toronto Maple Leafs have had some fantastic defensemen. Today I count down my top 5 of all time.
***Disclaimer*** My selections for best Toronto Maple Leafs defensemen are based off tenure, production, and influence.
Furthermore, I hold players who have played since the year 2000 in a higher regard in my rankings, as this is the era where I have first-hand knowledge.
That being said, and before we dive into my picks, I must list off some honorable mentions.
-Tim Horton (1184 GP, 458 PTS with TOR 1949-70)
–Jake Gardiner (551 GP, 245 PTS with TOR 2011-19)
-Dion Phaneuf (423 GP, 196 PTS with TOR 2010-16)
-Ian Turnbull (580 GP, 414 PTS with TOR 1973-1982)
Stats via Quant Hockey and Hockey Reference
Enjoy the list!
No. 5 – Morgan Reilly
Kicking off the list is Morgan Rielly.
Drafted 5th overall in 2012, Rielly has developed and blossomed as a top defender in the NHL since his debut in 2013. Throughout his 6 year tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Rielly has posted 243 points in 470 games (0.52 PTS/GP), which places him 22nd overall in points (by defensemen) since 2012-13 (Hockey Reference ).
These past two seasons, Rielly has emerged as the Leafs true #1 defenseman, scoring an incredible 20 goals and 72 points last year (Hockey Reference ).
Also, during his six years in the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs have finished in the bottom 10 league standings 3 times (NHL.com ). Thus, Rielly has been the biggest factor on the Leafs backend during some of the best and worst times in franchise history, which earns him the #5 spot on this list.
This past season, despite having Ron Hainsey dragging him down, Rielly nearly earned his first Norris Trophy and was among the best in the league.
The season before, he was one of only three players (along with Hedman and Doughty) to play against the top percentile of competition, while scoring 50 points and posting positive possession stats.
No. 4 – Al Iafrate
Coming in at number 4 is Al Iafrate.
The Michigan native was scooped up by the Leafs at 4th overall in the 1984 NHL draft and immediately made an impact at the NHL level.
Throughout his seven year, 472 game tenure in Toronto, Iafrate scored 81 goals and 250 points, which is good for 8th all-time in Leafs history (for defenders) (via Quant Hockey and Hockey Reference ).
Not to be forgotten, the Leafs finished below .500 for 6 of Iafrate’s 7 years in Toronto (per NHL.com ,to be absolutely fair, it was a different era, in which the majority of the NHL were statistically terrible but still made the playoffs).
Overall Iafrate was able to become a game changing player on some of the least impressive rosters ever iced in Leafs history, which spear-heads him to this position on this list.
Iafrate played seven seasons for the Leafs, and it’s a shame that he left the club just as they were turning it around. In 1992-93, when the Doug Gilmour led Leafs were making a run to the Finals, Iafrate had a career year with the Capitals, scoring 25 goals and 66 points.
No. 3 – Bryan McCabe
Finishing with the bronze medal is Bryan McCabe (as is tradition).
One of the most perplexing players in recent memory, McCabe was the lightning rod of Leafs nation through the good and bad of the 2000’s. No player was more unfairly ridiculed and underappreciated during their time on the Toronto Maple Leafs, with one possible exception.
Often hated for his defensive blemishes, McCabe was never truly recognized for his offensive ability.
In 523 games as a Maple Leaf, McCabe scored 83 goals and 297 points, which puts him 6th in all time defensive scoring in franchise history (Quant Hockey) .
During his seven year tenure on the Leafs, McCabe has posted 40 or more points four times, including a career-high 68 points in 2005-06 (a year in which the Leafs finished outside of the playoffs).
Not to be remiss, McCabe also posted an impressive 26 points in 51 playoff games (Hockey Reference) .
Overall, McCabe’s stellar production cemented him as a consistent leader on the Leafs backend for the better part of one of the most successful decades in Toronto Maple Leafs history.
Thus, he deserves this ranking 100%.
No. 2 – Tomas Kaberle
Coming in at a very close 2nd place is Tomas Kaberle. The Czech defenseman spent 12 years-and 878 games-in a Leafs uniform, scoring 83 goals and 520 points, which places him 2nd all time in Leafs franchise history for defensive scoring (Quant Hockey).
Known for his slick skating and excellent passing, Kaberle finished top-20 in Norris voting four times throughout his career in Toronto.
Moreover, Kaberle was one of the strongest players the Leafs had in terms of analytics, which was shown when advanced stats were officially tracked in 2007-08.
From 2007-2011, Kaberle averaged an impressive 52.7 CF% and a slightly unlucky 98.2 PDO rating with Toronto. We can only track data from the last half of Kaberle’s career, and it’s extremely impressive. Were the numbers from his best years available, no doubt he’d be held in even higher regard than he already is.
The Leafs missed the playoffs during this entire timeframe, so, it is not unreasonable to expect that Kaberle was even better during the Leafs better years. Additionally, Kaberle had eight seasons of 40 or more points, including an amazing 58-assist 67-point season in 2005-06 (Hockey Reference).
As mentioned, he is the second leading scorer (among defensemen) in franchise history – but he did it by playing the majority of his career in the Dead Puck Era, where scoring was low.
He is a borderline hall of famer who should at least garner more consideration that he has so far.
Kaberle’s sheer dominance as a Maple Leaf is simply unmatched by any modern Leafs defender, and should not be discounted.
No. 1 – Borje Salming
At number 1 we have Borje Salming. The 6-time All Star and Hall of Famer sits a top the Leafs all time defensive scoring record with 768 points in 1099 games played (Quant Hockey) .
The slick-skating offensive dynamo spent 16 years in the Blue & White, and was nominated for the Norris trophy 10 times. Salming’s 1099 games played places him 2nd all time (for defensemen) in Leafs history, only behind the legendary Tim Horton (1184 GP). (via Quant Hockey)
The Swedish superstar had 8 seasons of 40 points or more, four of which were above 70 points. Notably, when using Hockey Reference’s adjusted scoring tool, each of those 4 season translate to 60+ point seasons in the modern NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs Top Ten Prospects Updated for Summer 2019. dark. Next
Although not much can be said for the Toronto Maple Leafs teams that he played for, Salming is a certified legend in Toronto and is very much the best defender in franchise history.