Toronto Maple Leafs Top 12 Forwards of the Decade
Despite being one of the worst decades in Toronto Maple Leafs history, the Leafs forwards were very respectable.
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have not had much team success, but they did have quite a few awesome players in their lineup over the last ten years.
It all started late last decade when Brian Burke sent two top picks to the Bruins for Phil Kessel. The trade may have ended up badly for the Leafs (Tyler Seguin would easily make this list) but they did get Phil Kessel, and even though the team never found success while he was here, he will go down as one of the Leafs best players of all-time.
From Phil Kessel to some of the best player’s the team has ever drafted, the Toronto Maple Leafs employed some of the NHL’s most exciting players at various times throughout the last decade.
Here are your Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards of the Decade
Stats for this article: Naturalstattrick.com, NHL.Com, Quanthockey.com
Toronto Maple Leafs All-Decade First Line
Phil Kessel
In terms of firepower and skill, this first line is deep, and there’s really no contest: Kessel and Marner are by far the Toronto Maple Leafs best wingers of the decade. As for Matthews, he’s easily the best Leafs player since Mats Sundin.
Kessel scored 20 or more every year as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs and had two years where he scored 37. He was one of the NHL’s most dynamic wingers while in his prime, and the biggest blemish of Brian Burke and Dave Nonis’ careers is that they couldn’t ever surround him with a team good enough to compete.
Kessel Totals: 181 Goals, 213 Assists, 394 Points (446 Career Leafs Games)
Auston Matthews
With three seasons of 30-plus goals and a season that is trending in the same direction, Matthews is hands down the best player the team has seen this decade.
He’s already the best player the Leafs have ever drafted, and will likely go down as one of the best players in franchise history. Oh yeah, and he’s the single best 5v5 goal scorer since he entered the league. Every player who scored more than he did by his 250th game is in the Hall of Fame.
Matthews Totals: 132 Goals, 109 Assists, 241 Points (247 Career Leafs Games)
Mitch Marner
Drafted fourth overall, despite many of the organizations fans hoping for Noah Hanifin, Mitch Marner has proved every single doubter wrong and become one of the NHL’s elite right wingers.
He can score, but it’s his craftiness with the puck that makes him so dangerous.
He would be the perfect play-maker on this line, and in his limited time, he’s already established himself as an all-time member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marner Totals: 73 Goals, 177 Assists, 250 Points (265 Career Leafs Games)
Toronto Maple Leafs All-Decade Second Line
James Van Riemsdyk
Just like the first line, this second line is incredibly skilled.
James Van Riemsdyk became one of the most consistent Leafs of the decade and was a power-play specialist in front of the net.
Acquired for Luke Schenn by Brian Burke in 2012, in what may be one of the most favorable trades the Leafs have made, JVR played the prime of his career for the Leafs and he was spectacular.
He had a career high 36 goals 2017. He scored 30 twice, and in what may have been his best overall season, scored 27 times in 66 games before walking away as an UFA in 2018.
JVR Totals:154 Goals, 140 Assists, 294 Points (413 Career Leafs Games)
John Tavares
The Toronto maple Leafs signed John Tavares to the biggest free agent contract in the history of the NHL, and it paid off immediately.
With 47 goals in his first season with the Leafs, Tavares shows nightly that he’s one of the best centres in the NHL. His numbers are strong across the board, and he’s one of the best overall players in the NHL.
What more could you ask for? Only Auston Matthews and his otherwordly talents prevent Tavares from being the Leafs best Centre of the decade.
Tavares Totals: 60 Goals, 53 Assists, 113 Points (110 Career Leafs Games)
Joffrey Lupul
Another excellent trade by Brian Burke, Joffrey Lupul was either the most injury prone player of all-time, or the unluckiest.
He may not have played often, but Lupul delivered when he was healthy. His 2011-12 season of 25-42-67 in 66 games was a year to remember, and although he found himself out of the lineup more often than in it, he was a deserved All-Star that year.
Lupul Totals: 79 Goals, 85 Assists, 164 Points (252 Career Leafs Games)
Toronto Maple Leafs Third Line
William Nylander
Drafted seventh overall in 2014, Nylander was the second of four franchise cornerstones the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted between 2012 and 2016. (Rielly, Nylander, Marner, Matthews).
Statistically, Nylander hasn’t put up the numbers that Matthews or Marner has, but much of that is because of a lack of power-play opportunity. Nylander has been one of the NHL’s best 5v5 players since he’s entered the NHL and is an world-talent and is deserving of a top-nine spot.
Nylander Totals: 66 Goals, 120 Assists, 186 Points (274 Career Leafs Games)
Nazem Kadri
Despite the suspensions in the playoffs, Kadri was arguably the most reliable player for the Maple Leafs this decade.
Drafted 7th overall in 2009, Kadri is the fourth Brian Burke player to make this list. Always playing with an edge, he turned into a two-way centre under the guidance of Mike Babcock.
Unfortunately for Kadri, the Leafs drafted Matthews and signed Tavares making him expendable. They tried to make it work, but there just wasn’t the ice-time available to make a player like Kadri worthwhile on a third line. He was too good for that role, so the Leafs traded him for Alex Kerfoot and Tyson Barrie.
Kadri Totals: 161 Goals, 196 Assists, 357 Points (561 Career Leafs Games)
Zach Hyman
Hyman’s point totals aren’t worthy of him playing first line minutes, but his determination to get the puck and produce offence for others makes him a lock for the All-Decade team.
Once looked at as an innocent trade for two potential American Hockey League players, the swap of Greg McKegg for Hyman is one of the best trades this decade.
Zach Hyman is an underrated force on the Toronto Maple Leafs
Hyman Totals: 56 Goals, 67 Assists, 123 Points (267 Career Leafs Games)
Toronto Maple Leafs All-Decade Fourth Line
Nikolay Kulemin
If you battled through the early decade years, you’re a Leaf fan for life, and you’d remember that 2010-11 magical season for Kuelmin.
He scored 30 goals that season and is 12th in Leafs total points scored for the decade.
Kulemin was a defensive force, and one of the most underrated Leafs of all-time.
Kulemin Totals: 84 Goals, 111 Assists, 195 Points (421 Career Leafs Games)
Tyler Bozak
Bozak only scored 20 goals once in his career with the Leafs, but he became a consistent player that could be relied upon.
Maybe he never should have been Phil Kessel’s centre, and maybe if they had a #1 centre during that time things would have worked out differently. Still, there’s no denying that Bozak was a solid player for the Leafs.
Signed as an undrafted free-agent, Bozak was the team’s longest serving member by the time the Leafs opted to let him walk in free-agency, having played 594 games in Toronto.
Bozak may not have been a star, but he was definitely a fan-favourite.
Bozak Totals: 136 Goals, 229 Assists, 365 Points (594 Career Leafs Games)
Clarke MacArthur
With back-to-back 20 goal seasons, MacArthur was one of the bright spots in the early part of the decade, but unfortunately concussion problems and a terrible general manager limited his time in Toronto.
MacArthur Totals: 49 Goals, 76 Assists, 125 Points (195 Career Leafs Games)
Next. The Next Three Prospects to Make the Leafs. dark
All in all, it’s impressive given the lack of team success just how good this list of best-of-the-decade forwards is. Did we miss anyone? Don’t like our ordering? Let us know below.