The Toronto Maple Leafs have been known to acquire players a little too-late in their prime.
In order for the Toronto Maple Leafs to be successful, they’re going to need to find veteran players who will take bargain contracts.
Sparked by the off-season actions of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there have been many players to join the Leafs a little too late.
Although Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski may have something left in the tank, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. It’s quite possible the Buccaneers will be going through the same routine the Leafs have been through so many times.
In 20 years it’s quite possible that people will forget all about Gronk and Brady’s time in Tampa Bay and only remember them as New England Patriots.
It’s always exciting to add a player who has mystique to their name. However, it’s easy to get caught up in how that player used to perform, compared to how he’s going to play on your team.
In recent years, Jason Spezza and Patrick Marleau are two players that have Hall-of-Fame potential that showed up to the Leafs and met adjusted expectations, if not their career peaks.
While Marleau and Spezza are just the most recent examples, there have been plenty of amazing players that have joined the Leafs well beyond their primes.
Here are the top five Hall-of-Fame worthy players you forgot played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.