The Best Ever Toronto Maple Leafs Players by Jersey Number

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a special franchise where almost every number has an esteemed history with it. 

When you think of the current Toronto Maple Leafs roster, the numbers 34, 16, 91 and 44 all stick out.

Within Toronto’s history, 13 numbers have been honored by 19 players, which is second most in the NHL, only to their rival Montreal Canadiens.

With 103 years of history, the Leafs franchise is very unique with so many numbers retired. The team has been very fortunate that so many great players have gone through the organization that its current roster is unable to wear those 13 numbers for the rest of history.

Keep in mind that there are players who have worn multiple numbers, so for this case a player is only eligible at one number.

Also, the players who get picked are the best players to have ever wore the jersey with that number. It doesn’t necessary mean that they were at their best when they wore it, or even had a long history with the team.

Now, let’s breakdown the greatest players in numerical order starting with #1.

Toronto Maple Leafs Best Players Per Jersey Number

#1. Turk Broda (Retired Number)

Two Vezina trophies and five Stanley Cup’s. Not only is Broda the best player to wear #1, he’s the best goaltender in Leafs history.

#2. Brian Leetch

He only played 15 games as a Leaf but is a Hockey Hall-of-Famer with two Norris trophies, a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy.

#3. Dion Phaneuf

He may not have been a fan-favourite by the end of his career, but the former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs has the best stats of any player to wear this number.

#4. Red Kelly (Retired Number)

Kelly’s career was spectacular. He played 1316 career games, won four Lady Byng Trophies and one Norris trophy as the leagues best defenseman.

#5. Bill Barilko (Retired Number)

As The Tragically Hip wrote: “The last goal he ever scored, won the Leafs the cup.” Barilko was part of four Stanley Cups with Toronto, before his career abruptly ended passing away in the summer of 1951.

#6. Ace Bailey (Retired Number)

With 111 goals in 313 career games, Bailey’s numbers were equivalent to a 40-goal scorer in today’s NHL and was one of the Leafs best goal scorers between 1927-1934.

#7. Tim Horton (Retired Number)

Horton wasn’t just known for his coffee and donuts. He had a spectacular NHL career that included 1445 career NHL games and four Stanley Cups.

#8. Ron Ellis

Ellis switched his number to 6 after being admired by Ace Bailey, but started his career with wearing number 8. Ellis played his entire career with the Leafs, playing a total of 1034 games, which is fifth in team history.

#9. Ted Kennedy (Retired Number)

The 1954-55 Hart Trophy Winner is only one of two players to ever win this award and the last Toronto Maple Leafs player to do so. He was also named to the Top 100 NHL players of all-time list in 2017.

#10. George Armstrong (Retired Number)

Armstrong played the most games in Leafs history and is fifth in all-time franchise points. Although Charlie Conacher’s number 10 is also retired, Armstrong’s durability makes him the choice here.

#11. Gary Leeman

Leeman won a Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens, but we won’t hold that against him. Leeman’s 1989-90 season is one of the most special single years in Leafs history, as he scored 51 goals that year.

#12. Patrick Marleau

With 562 goals and 1188 career points, Marleau is not only the greatest Leaf to wear 12, but one of the best to ever wear that number anywhere.

#13. Mats Sundin (Retired Number)

In 1346 career games, Sundin had 1349 total points. Sundin is one of the greatest captains in Leafs history and one of the best Sweden-born players to ever play in the NHL.

#14. Dave Keon (Retired Number)

As the Leafs turned 100, Keon was named the greatest Leaf in history. Not much more of a compliment than that.

#15. Tomas Kaberle

For a decade, Kaberle was always one of the Leafs best defenseman. He may not have shot the puck as much as some wanted, but he was an assist-machine, with a career-high 58 in the 2005-06 season.

#16. Mitch Marner

Sorry Darcy Tucker, Marner is a better player. Although he’s only been a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs for four seasons, Marner has 291 points in 300 career games and has his eyes on the Hall-of-Fame.

#17. Wendel Clark (Retired Number)

The former 1st overall draft pick could fight, hit and score. Clark was a special player and there’s a reason why nobody will ever be able to wear his number 17 again.

#18. Jim McKenny

McKenny was a reliable offensive defenseman during his time in Toronto. He had four seasons with over 40 points and had his best year in 1972-73 with 52 total points.

#19. Mikael Renberg

Renberg was a force to be reckon with during his time with the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1990s. However, he was still a very useful player when he showed up in Toronto, playing alongside Mats Sundin.

#20. Ed Belfour

Belfour is one of the greatest goaltenders to ever live. He won two Vezina Trophies, along with a Stanley Cup and was a key piece to the Leafs teams in the early 2000s.

#21. Borje Salming (Retired Number)

Salming is the best defenseman in Toronto history and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. He revolutionized the game and is instrumental in the development of so many great European defenseman today.

#22. Rick Vaive

Vaive also wore number 19, but was more known for the number 22. Vaive had the greatest goal-scoring stretch in Leafs history from 1982-1984, scoring three straight seasons of 50 goals.

#23. Eddie Shack

Shack was apart of the Stanley Cup teams in the 1960s and actually scored the game-winner to clinch the Cup in 1963. Shack also played in three NHL All-Star games in the 60s.

#24. Bryan McCabe

In terms of offensive defenseman, McCabe was one of the best the Leafs ever saw. He had five seasons where he scored 15 or more goals.

#25. Joe Nieuwendyk

Nieuwendyk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011, and won three Stanley Cups with three different teams. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1999 after winning the Cup in Dallas.

#26. Bob Baun

Baun won four Stanley Cups in Toronto and was a staple on the teams blue-line for all of those championships.

#27. Darryl Sittler (Retired Number)

Most famous for his 10-point night in Toronto, Sittler was a remarkable offensive player. Sittler was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.

#28. Tie Domi

Domi may not have scored most nights, but if we didn’t pick him here, I’m scared he’d find me and beat me up. Third in all-time penalty minutes, Domi is one of the best fighters in NHL history.

#29. Felix Potvin

Potvin played in back-to-back NHL All-Star games as a Leaf and was a key reason for the teams success in the early 90s.

#30. Terry Sawchuk

With 103 career shutouts, Sawchuk’s record stood for decades before Martin Brodeur broke it. With four Vezina Trophies and four Stanley Cups, Sawchuk is known as one of the greatest goaltenders of all-time.

#31. Curtis Joseph

‘Cujo’ is one of the most beloved goaltenders in Leafs history. Joseph has yet to be named to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but with 454 career wins, it wouldn’t be shocking if he was elected eventually.

#32. Steve Thomas

Thomas had two different stints in Toronto 12 seasons apart. Thomas was a very reliable NHL player with 933 points in 1235 career games.

#33. Al Iafrate

The 6’3 defenseman from Michigan had a great shot from the blue-line. As a defenseman, Iafrate scored 20-plus goals three times in his career.

#34. Auston Matthews

Currently in his fourth season in Toronto, Matthews looks well on his way to the Hockey Hall of Fame. His worst goal season is 34, and it’ll be no surprise if he flirts with 50 goals scored every year.

#35. Jean-Sebastien Giguere

Winning a Conn Smythe Trophy is an incredible accomplishment, but doing it as the losing team is almost impossible. That’s just how good Gigure was in the 2003 NHL Playoffs. Although he lost the Stanley Cup that season, he would go onto win it with Anaheim in 2007.

#36. Carl Gunnarsson

Drafted in the 7th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Gunnarsson turned into a steady NHL defenseman and was apart of the 2019 Stanley Cup winning St. Louis Blues.

#37. Trevor Kidd

Kidd was the back-up goaltender during his time in Toronto and was known more for his cool pads than his play. However, he had 140 NHL wins during his career.

#38. Rasmus Sandin

The number 38 hasn’t been worn by too many greats in Toronto. Even with only 28 NHL games under his belt, Sandin is still better than players like Jay Rosehill or Frazer McLaren who previously wore this number.

#39. William Nylander

Nylander has changed his number twice since wearing 39, but he’s still the most skillful player to wear this sweater. In 307 career games, Nylander has 221 points.

#40. Michael Grabner

Known for his speed and ability to get a breakaway at any moment, Grabner only played one season in Toronto. Grabner has shown an offensive upside with four seasons of 20 or more goals.

#41. Matt Stajan

The local kid was a very reliable NHL player and was sent to Calgary in the Dion Phaneuf trade. Stajan was lucky enough to reach the milestone of 1000 games played before he retired.

#42. Tyler Bozak

Not only was he was the best player to wear this number, he might be one of the best un-drafted players in Leafs history. Bozak was looked upon at the top-line center for most of his years in Toronto and had a career high 55 points in the 2016-17 season.

#43. Nazem Kadri

Drafted seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Kadri was a great Leaf. As only one of four players to ever wear number 43 in Toronto, this was an easy selection.

#44. Morgan Rielly

Rielly is only 26 years, but it feels like he’s been in the NHL for decades. Rielly had a breakthrough 2018-19 season with 72 points, and has been the Leafs best defenseman for years.

#45. Carlo Colaiacovo

Although most of Colaiacovo’s seasons were cut short due to injury, he was a steady NHL defenseman. Colaiacovo found his groove in St. Louis, where he had his best seasons as a pro.

#46. Roman Polak

Polak is a beast and seems way older than 33 years old. He’s not going to put up much offensive numbers, but his toughness and defense is why he’s played over 800 NHL games.

#47. Leo Komarov

As the only representative for the Leafs in the 2016 NHL All-Star game, Komarov excelled on a team with little talent.

#48. Andrew Campbell

With six career games as a Leaf, the number 48 has not produced great talent. Campbell only gets this nod as he was the captain of the Toronto Marlies on a stacked roster in 2015-16.

#49. Brendan Leipsic

Not much to say about the 5’11 forward from Winnipeg, but he’s currently found a meaningful role in the NHL with the Washington Capitals.

#50. Jonas Gustavsson

Gustavsson was looked upon as the best goaltender not in the NHL, when the Leafs signed him in 2009. Although that never transpired, he still played eight seasons in the NHL.

#51. Jake Gardiner

In 619 career NHL games, Gardiner has been a steady offensive defenseman with 269 career points. Although he became Leaf fans favourite player to ‘boo’, Gardiner was criticized more than he should have.

#52. Alexander Karpovtsev

As a rookie, Karpovtsev won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994. From there, he managed to play in 594 career games, until he retired with the Panthers in 2006.

#53. John Pohl

Pohl’s 2006-07 season of 13 goals and 29 points crushes Mike Kostka and Sam Carrick’s statstics, who are the two other players to ever wear this number in Toronto.

#54. Frederik Gauthier

13 NHL goals in 168 career games wouldn’t typically be enough secure best Leaf, but Gauthier is only going up against Kris Newbury who had four goals in 76 career games.

#55. Larry Murphy

Murphy only played 151 of his 1615 career games in Toronto. However, Murphy had a remarkable career being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

#56. Byron Froese

With five goals in 111 career NHL games, Froese is a career AHLer.

#57. Andrew MacWilliam

The former seventh round pick is the only player in Leafs history to wear this number. In 12 career games, he had 0 goals and two assists.

#59. Keith Aulie

There was a ton of promise for the 6’5, 230 pound defenseman when he arrived in Toronto. Unfortunately that never panned and Aullie has spent most of his career playing in the AHL or overseas.

#61. Nic Petan

Petan is another player who only cracks the list because he’s the only player to wear this number. Leafs management is hoping Petan can crack the roster one of these days.

#62. Denis Malgin

Malgin has 0 goals scored as Leaf but gets the nod by default, because he falls in the same category as Petan.

#63. Tyler Ennis

With over 600 games played, the 5’9 Ennis proved a lot of doubters wrong. Ennis only played one season in Toronto but has three 20-goal campaigns.

#65. Ilya Mikheyev

Mikheyev has less career games played than his number, but nobody has ever worn 65 besides him. In 39 games played, fans loved watching ‘soup’ before he got injured.

#67. Robert Svehla

Fans may not remember Svehla, but he played nine career NHL seasons. Svehla barely missed a game and his best season came in 1995-96 with eight goals and 57 points.

#71. Mike Foligno

Leaf fans are trying to forget this number, as it was the one that David Clarkson wore in his short time in Toronto. Foligno on the other hand was a prolific goal scorer with four seasons of 30 or more goals.

#72. Mathieu Schneider

Although he was the only player to wear this number, he actually deserves credit. The reliable defenseman played over 1289 games and had 743 points.

#73. Kyle Clifford

Clifford recently joined the Leafs alongside Jack Campbell and has already shown his toughness and grit.

#77. Pavel Kubina

With five career double-digit goal seasons, Kubina was an underrated defenseman in Toronto. At 6’4, 260 pounds, Kubina was also someone you didn’t want to mess with.