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Top 5 Most Underrated Toronto Maple Leafs of All-Time

By Stephen Nixon

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 04: Phil Kessel #81 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates up to a face off against the Arizona Coyotes during the NHL game at Gila River Arena on November 4, 2014 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 04: Phil Kessel #81 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates up to a face off against the Arizona Coyotes during the NHL game at Gila River Arena on November 4, 2014 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 29: Phil Kessel #81 of the Toronto Maple Leafs   (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 29: Phil Kessel #81 of the Toronto Maple Leafs   (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Being underrated is a tough accomplishment for any player who’s ever worn a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.

As the biggest media hub for hockey in the NHL, every Toronto Maple Leafs’ move gets dissected by thousands of critics online daily.

That’s what makes it so difficult to becoming an underrated player in Toronto.

By playing for the Leafs, expectations that fans give are almost impossible to reach. If you score 20 goals in a season, why didn’t you score 25?

And if you’re a player who makes a lot of money, you better score 100 points and win the Stanley Cup or you’re not worth your contract. Sure, every fan should have high expectations for their favorites to perform, but they should also be realistic.

But I guess that’s what makes Toronto so special. If fans didn’t have those expectations, why would any player want to be apart of the Maple Leafs anyway?

If that stuff didn’t matter, every player would want to play in Florida where it’s sunny everyday and there’s no state tax. That passion and desire to win is what makes Toronto attractive.

If you’re going to bring a Stanley Cup home, you’ll be immortalized here forever. Eric Staal was part of the only team to win a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes and I’m sure he can walk around Raleigh without anyone recognizing him.

If the Leafs won the Cup this year in Toronto, Cody Ceci would be mobbed everywhere he went for autographs and pictures.

Although it’s hard to be underrated in a city that overrates everything, there are a few players that should have been remembered as great Maple Leafs and some that just flew under the radar and aren’t talked about enough.

Here are the top 5 most underrated Toronto Maple Leafs of all-time.

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