Toronto Maple Leafs All-Decade Team Roundtable

The Toronto Maple Leafs did not have a very good run during 2010s.

The Toronto Maple Leafs began the decade trying to get over Mats Sundin by creating a new team identity around Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf.

Needless to say, it did not go well.
Both cornerstone players were signed to ill-advised contract extensions just months before the team wised up and put Brendan Shanahan in charge.

Though the first half of the decade was a frustrating failure, the second half was marked by the Midas touch of Brendan Shanahan as he and his management team build the Leafs through the draft with some of the best players to ever wear the uniform.

So while the Leafs went yet another decade without winning the Stanley Cup, they did the hard work needed in the last half of the decade to ensure some success in the 2020s.

Earlier the team at Editor In Leaf worked on a piece featuring the Leafs best goaltenders and defensemen of the decade. Here a few of us expanded on that by creating our very own full lineups to provide some more reminisce of the past 10 years.

Let’s take a glimpse back in time to review the players that illustrated the stories of decade for the Toronto Maple Leafs

My Team

Forwards

MacArthur-Matthews-Kessel

van Riemsdyk-Tavares-Marner

Lupul-Kadri-Nylander

Hyman-Grabovski-Kapanen

Scratches-Kulemin, Bozak

First Line

Clark MacArthur is a player who seems to go under the radar as a Leaf, but he was a very effective player in his time.

He may be the best top-6 caliber player who also is capable of being reliable defensively that the Leafs had throughout the decade.

Putting him on the second line with Kessel was an easy decision because he can make up for Kessel’s poor defensive game along with being able to contribute offensively as we saw when he had a 62 point season in 2011-2012.

Auston Matthews is a “no-brainer” choice for me, he is the franchise center of this team and winning the lottery in 2016 is undoubtedly one of the best moments of the decade.

Matthews is the kind of goal scorer that we rarely see and has been the best 5v5 goal scorer in the league since he joined the league and he has the ability to win multiple Rocket Richard trophies throughout his career.

Not only is Matthews a one of a kind goal scorer but he seems to have more to his game than other goal scorers like Ovechkin or Kessel, with his defensive game improving year to year.

Phil Kessel was the heartbeat of this team when he was on it, he was the only player who was able to score on a consistent basis.

He carried the offense at an unbelievable rate with barely any help, from 2011-12 to 2013-14 Kessel had the most point out of any winger in the league playing with Tyler Bozak at 5v5 and on a powerplay with only 3 players that would make a top powerplay on the majority of teams.

Second line

James van Riemsdyk is probably the most talented offensive left-winger the Leafs have seen throughout the decade.

He has a real knack for finishing and for my money is among the best net-front presences in the NHL throughout the whole decade.

JVR is easily a player who deserves on any team’s top powerplay, hence why the Flyers paid him as such. At 5v5 when JVR was put in the right situation with Bozak on the third line, he excelled in that role creating a remarkable amount of high danger chances, he was the driving force of one of the best third lines in the league at the time.

John Tavares is self-explanatory, he is a superstar talent who is easily among the best players the decade has seen.

To me, Tavares’ 40-goal season is not even his biggest accomplishment, I would put gifting Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo mega contracts that they clearly do not deserve when away from Tavares himself as his biggest accomplishment.

I do not even have to end there in terms of his accomplishments but I will just for the sake of Habs fans sanity (Tavares did not grant Montreal a meeting).

Mitch Marner is the hometown ice-cream eating star. Marner has been a special playmaker since he has joined the league, now becoming a consistent over-point per game player, it does not seem like him being the next Patrick Kane is out of the realm of possibility.

I like to point to what Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy had to say about him in the 2019 playoffs, “When he’s got it in open ice he’s a threat to shoot or pass. He seems to see everything going on & the game slows down for him. I don’t enjoy playing against him, because he’s a good player, but I enjoy watching him play the game.”

Third Line

Joffrey Lupul was an easy choice for the third line winger on this team, with technically two over point-per-game seasons under his belt with the Toronto Maple Leafs Lupul was a much-needed addition to the offense when he was acquired from Anaheim.

Lupul was a talented offensive player who had a good mix of shooting and playmaking talent to play with the likes of Kessel.

Nazem Kadri is the heartbeat of the Toronto Maple Leafs decade, his decision as the third line center is a no-brainer.

Kadri did so much for the organization playing through both regimes of the decade, it was very tough to see him traded this past summer. Kadri is a player who any team would we more than willing to take on as a second-line center who is able to take tough matchups, drive play and be one of the most effective powerplay players.

Kadri will always be underrated in terms of his ability to drive offense no matter who he played with whether it be total drags or not.

William Nylander the Swedish-Calgary born player who is everyone’s favorite player.

This may have been the easiest decision among the whole all-decade team, no player even comes close to his capability and talent.

The mix of his play-driving along with his playmaking and the new emergence of a lethal shot makes for him to have the ability to be an elite player if he is not already which he is in my eyes.

Fourth line

Zach Hyman is an appreciated player throughout the whole fanbase, even given the fanbase is the biggest in all of hockey, I doubt anyone in the fanbase has any negative feelings towards him.

Hyman is clearly not a finisher as we can note, but he is among the best forecheckers in the league and has proven to provide superb play-driving value to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mikhail Grabovski is easily one of the most underrated players on this team, the center anchored himself as an excellent second-line player who was successful in his role.

Grabovski being bought out may have been one of the worst decisions of the decade, not that he was ultra-successful but he was a good NHL player that the team could have used, just take a look at the roster. His one shootout goal is one that I will never forget, I even tried it when I was playing hockey myself, it is an all-time favorite to me.

Kasperi Kapanen the speedy Finnish winger, who has had his own fair share of goals I will never forget that would make my best moments of the decade.

Kapanen is a player who has had a lot of success in the NHL besides when he is put in the top-6 where he drives a lot of hate towards his play.

But Kapanen is a one-man entry machine and has a good shot to go with it making him a valuable player to have. Kapanen also has a lot of success on the penalty kill slowly making himself as among the most lethal penalty killers in the league with the likes of Michael Grabner.

Scratches

Nikolay Kulemin was a great winger who was able to successfully round out the top-6 for the Leafs in the early parts of the decade.

Kulemin even had a 30-goal season in his time here, which don’t forget was even harder in 2010 where the average S% would be a lot lower than it currently is. Although the 30-goal season was a bit of an anomaly he was still a very effective middle-6 winger.

Tyler Bozak, one of the best college pickups of the decade, is a player who the Leafs were lucky to have on the roster and who was one who I would probably be crucified for if I did not have him on the list.

Bozak was a player who played above his talent level playing on the first line for a lot of the time but nonetheless an effective NHL player that had an underrated passing ability but overrated defensive capability.

Must Mention

Leo Komarov, Andreas Johnsson, and Patrick Marleau

Now we shall move on to the defensive side of things.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have not had a good defensive-core in the entirety of my life, for most of our lives, and better yet in the 2010’s.

Currently, the Leafs D-core sits around league average and the current group is easily the best the decade has seen other than the few games that Jake Muzzin and Jake Gardiner both dressed up for in the 2018-2019 season.

The struggles of finding a reliable defenseman have been preached by the media on countless occasions and they still are to this day.

With this in mind let’s take a look at my all-decade team lineup;

Kaberle-Rielly

Gardiner-Phaneuf

Muzzin-Franson

Scratched-Dermott

First pairing

Thomas Kaberle rounds out the top pairing as an easy choice for me, as he is a clear top-pairing defenseman even in his later years of being member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kaberle put up some stellar results on a crappy team at the end of his tenure and deserves more respect for his ability to be a reliable defenseman which Toronto Maple Leafs fans know is hard to find.

Kaberle’s success is mostly because of his offensive ability similar to other players on this list, but to me, he had the hardest situation out of any player to put up points but still found a way to do so.

Morgan Rielly the closest Toronto Maple Leafs defensemen to winning a Norris of the decade.

Although Rielly truly does struggle defensively he finds himself on the top of the team because of his insane athleticism and ability to get away from opponents and create room for himself.

Rielly is among the longest-tenured Leafs of the decade and is a great player on and off the ice and was essentially captain from when Phaneuf was traded to when Tavares was named captain.

Second pairing

Jake Gardiner is an automatic pick on this list, the guy played for the team through both eras of the decade and was a stellar defenseman throughout the time period.

If I were to rank a player in terms of overall contributions to the team over the decade, Gardiner would be a top of that list. The severity he was underappreciated and undervalued is astonishing to me, he is such an effective defenseman even when you factor in he will make a mistake every 5 or so games the pros heavily outweighed the cons, the guy was a rock for the Leafs.

Dion Phaneuf the man that was traded for to be a number one defensemen for the Leafs but really was only a number 3 kind of guy during his time here.

Abide those circumstances, he was still an effective player and most notably captain for the team. Phaneuf would play an absurd about of minutes in all situations for the team, was a core piece to this team for a few years.

He was one of the major faces of the decade for the team so it would be a disservice to leave him off the list.

Third Pairing

Jake Muzzin was acquired by Kyle Dubas making up for among the biggest additions to the team of the decade.

A defenseman who can be dependable in both his own end and against top-competition is a clear player to make it onto the all-decade team. Muzzin is able to put up good results wherever he is put and is agreed upon by every fan on the team because of his ability to put up analytically good results while making big hits that can change the tempo of the game.

Cody Franson is another defenseman who was very effective in his time in Toronto and was almost underappreciated to a degree throughout the decade.

The 6″5 analytics darling put up some very respectable results, even on some awful teams (seems like a common theme). With Franson on the ice, the Leafs were able to outscore the opposition this is likely because of his underrated passing ability where he was able to put up high assist numbers throughout his career.

Must mention

Hainsey, Gunnarsson, Dermott

My Goalies

The Toronto Maple Leafs were a bottom ten in terms of team SV% over the decade until Frederik Andersen arrived since that time the Leafs are closer to the top 10 instead of the bottom ten even with a poor defense.

Finding a competent staring goaltender was among the toughest tests for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the decade.

The only goalie to have consistently above-average numbers from year to year on the Leafs is Andersen and if we filter to add them up to the decade overall James Riemer does come out as an above-average goaltender but there was never the consistency we have with Freddie.

The two goaltenders to make it onto the all-decade team come to no one else other than Frederik Andersen and James Riemer

Starting Goalie

Frederik Andersen has been the most valuable player for the Leafs since he arrived, and I’m sorry to inform you it is not close.

Freddie has not only been the MVP for the Leafs but the most consistent goaltender in the league since he has arrived, he has had almost exactly a 918SV% year to year since 2015 like clockwork.

His trade for Andersen trade ought to be among the best of the decade  the difference between the team’s success before and after he arrived is incredible. He is slowing becoming the best goaltender to ever be in a Leaf uniform, he deserves all of the praise he gets.

Backup Goalie

James Riemer was a Leaf for a lengthy period of time over this decade, he had some excellent seasons along with some weak ones but was a good overall goaltender for the team and ultimately carried them to the playoffs in 2013, they wouldn’t have made it there without him. Riemer does deserve love for his time here, he was not even close to Andersen good but he was decent and that as Leaf fans know is hard to find.

Final Thoughts

Toronto as a team had plenty more failures than success, but there were at least moments of success throughout the decade. But there are still an abundance of good players to choose from when making this all-decade team as you will see for the other fantastic contributors at Editor in Leaf

Spencer Teixeira

Toronto Maple Leafs All Decade Team

JVR-Kadri-Kessel

Matthews-JT-Marner

Lupul-Grabo-Willy

Brown-Bozak-Hyman

Rielly-Barrie

Phaneuf-Muzzin

Gardiner-Franson

Andersen

Reimer

*Scratches*

Bernier, Kapanen, Kaberle

The top six consists of a near bulletproof setup, with Matthews and Kessel taking on the role of the Ovechkin-like sniper, with JT and JVR being the puck retrievers + net-front presence and Marner & Kadri being the main setup men or playmakers.

The third line allows for William Nylander and Joffrey Lupul to shine as a flashy offensive tandem with the criminally underrated Mikhail Grabovski does the dirty work.

The fourth line is certainly less flashy but still effective in a two-way sense. All three of Bozak, Brown, and Hyman can produce but together they would probably be more of a force on the PK side of things, with Bozak being the main scoring option on that line.

Now onto Defense. Rielly suits up alongside newcomer Tyson Barrie to create a spectacular offensive duo that would be hard to keep off the scoresheet.

Dion Phaneuf and Jake Muzzin join as a rather solid combo, with Phaneuf and Muzzin both providing offensive punch and physical defense for some fun, but outdated hockey.

The third pairing consists of everyone’s favorite Jake Gardiner and Cody Franson. Gardiner and Franson both know how to play a good game in the O-Zone but definitely struggle in the defensive aspects of the game. Sheltered minutes would only help this situation.

Finally, goaltending. Freddy Andersen didn’t take the starting spot when I did my original starting five back in September.

My thoughts have definitely changed. The Toronto Maple Leafs would’ve literally been awful without Freddy and frankly were at times despite his greatness.

The same goes for James Reimer, the Leafs hero for roughly five seasons, who kept them in every game he played, but he-and the team-still lost. A lot. Freddy takes the starting spot just due to the bias of winning.

David Scala

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a lot more great players on their roster this decade than their team success would indicate.

Willy nuilly

TYLER BOZAK

The often criticized undrafted college free agent was thrown into first-line minutes nearly his entire tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While he wasn’t the most skilled player, his body of work for the Toronto Maple Leafs was crucial for a team that had no center depth for most of the decade. Bozak was fairly good at everything, but never one particular thing.

Most Memorable Moment:

2016/2017 Game 3 OT winning goal against Washington.

Nazem Kadri

Kadri was the best Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick to play during the last decade not named Morgan Rielly.

His style of play was reminiscent of Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark days. Kadri would hit and fight you, and then score on you the next shift. Nazem played on the edge with all heart and emotion, allowing for some remarkable moments. The Maple Leafs would suffer at the expense of Kadri’s emotions at times, including his final game as a Toronto Maple Leaf.

Most Memorable Moments:

Don Cherry kiss on HNIC

Hat trick against the Islanders/Senators in 2013.

John Tavares

The biggest unrestricted-free-agent signing in Toronto Maple Leafs history, and of the decade in the NHL.

Tavares is the most complete player Toronto has had since Mats Sundin. He scores goals, he defends, and he leads by example with his humbleness and strong work ethic. Recently named captain in his second season with the team, Tavares continues to show how valuable of a player and leader he is.

Most Memorable Moments:

First goal as a Maple Leaf against MTL in his first game as a Leaf.

Hat trick against Chicago in 2018.

Auston Matthews

Drafted first overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Auston Matthews is the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Auston is an elite scoring talent who is emerging into a top tier talent across the league. The goal for Matthews is to become a complete package player, and there is doubt he won’t. Auston has scored 30+ goals in each of his first three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is on pace for 50 this season.

Most Memorable Moment:

4 goals in his first NHL game against the Ottawa Senators

PHil Kessel

Phil Kessel was traded to Toronto in the wrong decade.

A superstar wing talent, Phil was beloved by Toronto Maple Leafs fans. With a quirky personality and flash on the ice, Kessel was a household name in Toronto.

His time in Toronto was nothing short of perfect, and there were many times where he got criticism for his lack of effort. Sometimes the criticism was deserved, and sometimes it wasn’t. To this day, it’s hard not to see a Phil Kessel jersey on at Scotiabank Arena or in a crowd of Leafs fans.

Most Memorable Moment:

Breakaway playoff goal against Boston in 2013.

James van Riemsdyk

JVR and his green mouthguard scoring on tips and deflections, name a more iconic duo. JVR was the Maple Leafs most consistent left-winger during the decade and was cash money for 20+ goals in four of his six seasons with the team.

Most Memorable Moment:

Goal against the Flyers to start the comeback in 2013.

Joffrey Lupul

When Joffrey Lupul was in the Maple Leafs lineup, he was a fantastic player. Another heart and soul kind of player, Lupul instantly clicked with Nazem Kadri. The issue for Lupul was staying healthy enough to play for the team for more than 20 games at a time.

Most Memorable Moment:

End to end goal against the Hurricanes in 2013.

Zach Hyman

Zach Hyman is the ultimate worker-bee. The Maple Leafs have had players similar to Hyman in the past, but none of them quite stack up to Hyman’s work ethic. Hyman rarely takes a shift off, and is seemingly always involved in the outcome of the game. Hyman has the drive and determination all fans value and wish for in a hockey player.

Most Memorable Moment:

Whenever he steps on the ice

Mitch Marner

The hometown kid, drafted by his favorite team. The stars aligned perfectly with Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The only negative part of Mitch Marner was his contract negotiations, and thank the lord that is over. Mitch is the ultimate “kid” and exemplifies the inner Leafs fan in all of us. Crafty and crazy like a waterbug on the ice, Marner is electric.

Most Memorable Moment:

Shot block against Boston in the 2019 Playoffs

William Nylander

William Nylander is the most polarizing Maple Leaf in franchise history. He should not be polarizing at all.

There has never been a player more talked about for seemingly everything and nothing since his draft year. What’s the next story on Nylander? Is he on the trade block? (No) Is he producing? Is he good enough? The stat wizards say he is a good hockey player, and the media says he isn’t all that effective. Sources say he’s on a 30+ goal pace, while also making everyone lose their minds at the same time.

Well played Willy.

Most Memorable Moment:

Moving past the contract negotiations and enjoying him play hockey.

Nic Kulemin

Kulemin has a cult following among select Toronto Maple Leafs fans, and I can proudly say that I am one of them. Kulemin played six years in Toronto, with his best in 2010/2011 scoring 30 goals and 57 points.

What most fans don’t know about Kulemin knew all the players who lost their lives in the Russian plane crash in 2011. Naming Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev in particular, Kulemin was never the same after that crash. With the promise of becoming a skilled offensive talent, he eventually became more of a role player. While never spectacular, he did his job well.

Most Memorable Moment:

Big hit on Adam McQuaid in 2013 Playoffs against Boston

Clark MacAruthur

Often forgotten by Maple Leafs fans, Clarke MacArthur was a damn good hockey player. Energy and physicality usually comes from guys like Tom Wilson or Ryan Reaves, Clarke played much bigger than what he was. In 195 games played for the Maple Leafs through three seasons, Clarke scored 20 goals twice and had a total of 125 points.

Most Memorable Moment:

One timer goal against Philly in 2013.

Morgan Rielly

If you told Toronto Maple Leafs fans that Morgan Rielly is only 25 years old, they would scoff in disgust.

Rielly has been through the dark ages of the Maple Leafs, which makes it seem like he is in his 30’s. An ultimate leader, Rielly has always strived to be the best player and teammate he can. He can be quite the adventure on the ice because of his offensive-minded style, but he has matured into the Leafs most important player on the back end.

Jake Gardiner

Jake Gardiner put up with a lot of backlash as a Maple Leaf, and it wasn’t until he left did fans truly see how good of a player he was.

A god at the stretch pass and silky smooth on transition, Gardiner was the ultimate mobile defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Like Rielly, Gardiner took risks in order to create. The fans will remember the glaring mistakes because when he made them, oh you clearly tell it was a mistake. What the fans should remember instead his game seven collapses, was all the plays he created from making good decisions.

Most Memorable Moment:

Goal against the Bruins in the 2013 Playoffs

Dion Phaneuf

Most Memorable Moment:

Holding his own as the captain of the Maple Leafs during a rough decade.

TOMAS KABERLE

Most Memorable Moment:

Never shooting the puck, but always involved in the play.

CARL GUNNARSSON

Carl Gunnarsson was never particularly flashy in his play, and you could say he was a bit underrated during his time with the Maple Leafs. Carl played a steady game and was more than serviceable on the second pairing. Oddly enough, he was traded for Roman Polak.

Most Memorable Moment:

Fairly steady defense, and a cool name.

Roman Polak

Roman Polak on a Toronto Maple Leafs All-Decade Roster shows just how thin the right side has been. Polak was never praised in Toronto for his stellar defensive play, but his rough and tough attitude was always appreciated.

Most Memorable Moment:

His physical play.

Freddie Andersen

Frederik Andersen has been the Maple Leafs MVP his entire tenure with the team. He has stolen games himself and continues to be steady as it gets between the pipes.

He is a career .917sv% goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and is the quickest European goaltender to reach 200 NHL wins.

With over 7000 shots against and over 6000 saves, Andersen gets peppered more than a team would like. He plays for the team in front of him, regardless of the countless 30 and 40 shot games against.

Most Memorable Moment:

Stick save against the Bruins in 2018 Playoffs

James mer 

James Reimer came out of nowhere and battled his way to a starting job in the NHL. If there was a “nicest guy ever” award in the NHL, James Reimer would win it until he retired.

There was something about his personality that made everyone love him. Reimer put the 2012/2013 Maple Leafs on his back and was a big reason why the Maple Leafs made the playoffs. Unfortunately, he will always be remembered to all for the game 7 collapse against Boston that same year.

Most Memorable Moment:

The first goalie to carry the Leafs on his back into the playoffs in 9 years (2013)

The New Decade

As we enter the new decade, there is a lot of stories to look back on in the past and for the team to build on going into the 2020s.

The Leafs currently have one of the best cores in the whole league locked up for a number of years. I expect there to be success moving forward with the likes of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares all signed to long term deals with most of those guys only scratching the surface of their prime years as a player.

With the likes of Shanahan, Dubas, and Keefe as the guys who are tasked with bringing success to this team, I am more than optimistic about the future success of this team going forward, I think the Leafs organization is on the right path to forming a dynasty.

Here’s to the Toronto Maple Leafs stories of the 2020s to be filled memories that LeafsNation will never forget and for the hockey community to reminisce about when the time comes where we will be looking back on the 2020’s one day.