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Comparing Toronto Maple Leafs to Past 10 Stanley Cup Champions

By Stephen Nixon

NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 11: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with the Stanley Cup Trophy after they defeated the Nashville Predators 2-0 to win the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Bridgestone Arena on June 11, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 11: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with the Stanley Cup Trophy after they defeated the Nashville Predators 2-0 to win the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Bridgestone Arena on June 11, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QUEBEC – OCTOBER 26: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Stephane Dube /Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – OCTOBER 26: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Stephane Dube /Getty Images) /

#5. Work-Horse Defenseman

This may sound like common sense, but every team needs a defenseman who can log 30 minutes a night in the playoffs.

When playoff games get tight, the bench gets shorter which means you need a minimum of one defenseman you can rely on. That individual needs to step their game up in every situation whether it’s 5v5, power-play or penalty kill minutes. Not only do they need to be a shutdown defender, but they need to be a point-producer as well if their team is going to win.

  • 2018-19: Alex Pietrangelo
  • 2017-18: John Carlson
  • 2016-17: Justin Schultz
  • 2015-16: Kris Letang
  • 2014-15: Duncan Keith
  • 2013-14: Drew Doughty
  • 2012-13: Duncan Keith
  • 2011-12: Drew Doughty
  • 2010-11: Zdeno Chara
  • 2009-10: Duncan Keith

The only season where the team won without a world-class defender was the Penguins in 2016-17, but that’s only because Letang was injured for the playoffs. For the most part, the team has a Norris Trophy winning defenseman on the back-end carrying the load.

Toronto’s Work-Horse Defenseman: Morgan Rielly

Rielly is a world-class defenseman and although he just missed out on being a Finalist for the Norris Trophy during the 2018-19 season, he’s in a similar category to Carlson and Letang. At only 26-years-old, Rielly has yet to reach to the prime of his career, as he tries to help the Leafs win a Stanley Cup.

#6. Unsung Hero

In order to win, you need a random player to step in the big moment when nobody is expecting him. Whether it’s a fourth-line winger or bottom-six defenseman, each team has that one player who over-performs in critical situations.

They may have scored an overtime goal that helped the team advance a round, or had multiple big goals throughout the entire playoff run, but there’s always one player that shines unexpectedly.

  • 2018-19: Pat Maroon
  • 2017-18: Devante Smith-Pelly
  • 2016-17: Jake Guentzel
  • 2015-16: Conor Sheary
  • 2014-15: Antoine Vermette 
  • 2013-14: Alec Martinez 
  • 2012-13: Bryan Bickell
  • 2011-12: Dwight King
  • 2010-11: Andrew Ference
  • 2009-10: Dave Bolland

If you look through the list, all of these individuals are role players. Nobody expected a big performance by any of these players, but each one of them had a huge moment or multiple moments throughout their Stanley Cup run.

Toronto’s Unsung Hero: TBD

On the Leafs current roster there are a number of players that could take on this role. Whether it’s Pierre Engvall, Cody Ceci or Frederik Gauthier to name a few, any player at any moment has the ability to sketch themselves into NHL history during a Stanley Cup run.

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