The Top 5 Most Underrated Players on the Toronto Maple Leafs
We all know the Toronto Maple Leafs have a handful of star players, but they also have some pretty underrated players on the team as well that don’t get enough credit.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are known for having their offensive star power, but they also have some pretty underrated players too.
A lot of their underrated players often get overlooked because of the star players they play alongside with or because they’re too far down in the lineup.
These underrated players are still very important to this Toronto Maple Leafs team, especially if they want to go deep in the playoffs because they will be important down the stretch.
Here are the five most underrated members of the Toronto Maple Leafs
5. Alex Kerfoot – 25 years old – C/LW
Contract – $3.5M signed through the 2022-23 season (Stats from CapFriendly.com)
At my number five spot I have Alex Kerfoot, and Alex Kerfoot to me isn’t the best player on the team but he isn’t the worst either. He has solidified himself as a perfect third line C for this team and has done a good job at it.
His 2019-20 season hasn’t gone to plan with the Toronto Maple Leafs because of the amount of times Kerfoot went up and down the lineup and played with different line mates due to everyones injuries. In his last two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche he hit the 40 point mark both times, he was only on pace for a 33 point season as he missed five games during the season.
Like I was saying Kerfoot solidified himself as the teams third line C, plays on the second power play unit and scores big goals when needed. He is one of the underrated players on this Maple Leafs team despite not a lot of people giving him recognition.
2019-20 stats – 65 GP – 9 G – 19 A – 28 PTS (Stats from NHL.com)
4. Justin Holl – 28 years old – D
Contract – $675K signed through the 2019-20 season, new contract $2M kicks in the 2020-21 season and signed through the 2022-23 season. (Stats from CapFriendly.com)
At my number four spot I have defensemen Justin Holl, and boy what a journey it has been for Justin Holl to make it as a full timer in the NHL. Holl finally can consider himself as a full time NHL player even though he is already 28 years old.
From the 2017-18 season until last year Holl wasn’t given the chance to play a lot of games as he only suited up for 13 games in the two years, and was sat in the press box for the remaining games.
The reason why Justin Holl is on this list and that I consider him as an underrated Maple Leaf is because the immediate impact he brought to this Toronto Maple Leafs team towards the end of Babcock’s tenure.
He solidified himself as a top 4 defensemen paired with Jake Muzzin to shut the other teams top guys out, and has done an excellent job at it. He went from playing 12 minutes a night to averaging 18:30 a night.
It’s kind of a bummer he finally got his crack at a full time NHLer at the age of 28 instead of getting a chance sooner, but its great to have him here on the team and especially being a right handed defensemen, that’s for sure.
2019-20 stats – 68 GP – 2 G – 16 A – 18 PTS (Stats from NHL.com)
3. Pierre Engvall – 23 years old – LW/RW
Contract – $925K signed through the 2019-20 season, new contract $1.25M kicks in the 2020-21 season and signed through the 2021-22 season. (Stats from CapFriendly.com)
At my number three spot I have the gazelle, the long neck, Pierre Engvall. Pierre has been a great addition to the bottom six on this Toronto Maple Leafs team as I’ve said before in previous articles and as we all know too.
To be honest in my opinion Pierre Engvall has all the attributes of a perfect player, although yes I know he’s obviously not the perfect player and not the best in the league right now.
His size, speed, shot, and aggressiveness all ties together and is a great thing to watch. Like I said that he has all the attributes of a perfect player, he will need a couple of years to grow into a better player than he is right now.
He can play in a bunch of scenarios as he’s currently playing on the third line at left wing, he also plays on the penalty kill which is a huge part of his game in his young career. His speed and reach is a huge advantage with a man down.
Despite Pierre Engvall having a horrible second half to his season (at least as it relates to point production) he still had a great first half after being called up and being his first year in the NHL. I can’t wait to see him back on the ice if the season resumes this year or even next year.
2019-20 stats – 48 GP – 8 G – 7 A – 15 PTS (Stats from NHL.com)
2. Ilya Mikheyev – 25 years old – LW/RW
Contract – $925K signed through the 2019-20 season (Stats from CapFriendly.com)
At my number two spot I have the soup lover and a huge fan favourite, Ilya Mikheyev. Ilya has blown us all away with his terrific first half of the season before his injury in December.
He obviously isn’t looked at as the top player but he sure is an underrated player that can play up and down the lineup with anyone on the team.
Just like Pierre Engvall, Ilya Mikheyev has a lot of great attributes that make up a hockey player. With his size, speed, shot, and hands he can play in all situations and alongside the best players on the team.
Not to mention his speed and size, just like Engvall he is a key part of the Toronto Maple Leafs penalty kill and it definitely wouldn’t be the same without Mikheyev and Engvall on it.
All in all since it is Mikheyev’s first year on the team, as well as first year in the NHL I don’t know if people will consider him either overrated or underrated.
For the sake of this article and the players on the team I consider him underrated because of his role, what he has shown in only 39 games, and the contract he is signed to.
2019-20 stats – 39 GP – 8 G – 15 A – 23 PTS (Stats from NHL.com)
1. Zach Hyman – 27 years old – LW
Contract – $2.25M signed through the 2020-21 season (Stats from CapFriendly.com)
At my number one and final spot I have the most underrated Maple Leaf and one of the most underrated players in the NHL, Zach Hyman. Hyman has proven to everyone that he is one of the best players on the team and one of the most important as well. Although he won’t score 35 plus goals and isn’t on the first power play unit, Zach’s presence on the ice is all you need to be successful.
His determination to succeed on every shift he’s out on the ice plays a huge part in his success, his line mates success and ultimately the teams success. He is one of the best forecheckers in the league, a great penalty killer, and he is also one of the best at puck battles down low in the corners which is sometimes all overlooked.
2019-20 stats – 51 GP – 21 G – 16 A – 37 PTS (Stats from NHL.com)
In his fourth full year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Zach Hyman has seen an increase in goals and points each year.
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He went from 10 goals and 28 points in his first full year to having 21 goals and 37 points in 51 games this year and putting him on pace to finish with 26 goals, and if he played a full 82 game season that would be a 34 goal pace and 59 point pace too.
Zach Hyman is the Toronto Maple Leafs most underrated player.