Top 10 Individual Toronto Maple Leafs Seasons of All-Time
The Toronto Maple Leafs have provided us many great individual seasons in over 100 years of history.
After the moves the Toronto Maple Leafs made this off-season, I’d expect a few players to have record breaking seasons this year. With limited playoff success, you may not remember that a few Leafs have provided some of the greatest seasons in team history over the last four years.
If you look back in Leafs history, the last few seasons have been filled with individual greatness. Starting with Auston Matthews’ Calder Trophy win in his rookie season, many players have continued to rack up success. We spend way too much time focusing on how much a player makes, instead of realizing how great they actually are.
When John Tavares joined the Leafs for $11M per season, some fans were ecstatic and some fans were outraged. How could you pay an aging player that much money for seven seasons when the team still needs defense. It seemed like cap-killing move to some, but people need to realize how special Tavares is.
In Tavares’ first season in the blue-and-white, he finished with 47 goals. In over 100 seasons of Maple Leafs hockey, that is the seventh best season of all-time. Only Frank Mahovlich, Rick Vaive, Gary Leeman and Dave Andreychuk had scored more goals than him in a single season and those guys were doing that when scoring 50 goals was common.
If you score over 40 goals in a season once in today’s NHL, you’re rewarded with a $9M per season contract (ie. Jeff Skinner, Buffalo Sabres).
One of the reasons why Tavares was able to have such an impact in his first year in Toronto was because of his line-mate Mitch Marner, who also had a breakout 2018-19 season. With 68 assists that year, Marner’s season ranks fourth all-time in Leafs history. Everyone and their dog wanted Marner traded for a defenseman a few months ago, without realizing that he’s one of the best playmakers the team has ever had.
Speaking of great seasons, Matthews was on-pace to have the best individual goal-scoring season in Leafs history before the pandemic shut everything down. With 47 goals in 70 games, Matthews was only a few short of Vaive’s record in the 1981-82 season when he scored 54. I know the three players I just mentioned make roughly $11M per season, but they’re worth it. (All stast from NHL.com and Hockeydb.com).
Let’s look at the top 10 best individual seasons in Leafs history:
#10. Borje Salming (1976-77)
As arguably the greatest defenseman in Toronto Maple Leafs history, he had to crack this list.
Although he scored more goals one year later, the 1976-77 season was special because he had more points. Salming finished the campaign with 12 goals, 66 assists and 78 points in 76 games played.
At the time, Salming’s 66 assists were the most in team history, breaking Darryl Sittler’s record of 59 assists from the year prior.
Not only was Salming breaking franchise records, but he was tied for the league lead in assists by a defenseman that season and finished third among all players in that category.
#9. Jacques Plante (1970-71)
At 41-years-old, Plante had one of his best seasons of his career. If the Vezina Trophy criteria was the same that it is today, he would have won the trophy in a landslide. However, unfortunately back then that award went to the goaltender (or duo) of the team who allowed the least amount of goals in a season.
As an aging player, Plante only played 40 of the 78 games, but in those limited starts he was brilliant. To this day, he still holds the franchise record for save percentage (Sv %) by a Leafs goaltender.
Plante finished the year with a 24-11-4 record that included a .944 Sv% and 1.89 GAA. He was stopping every puck that came his way, but his team was so bad in front of them that the Leafs ended up losing in the First Round of the NHL Playoffs.
He’ll always be remember as the first goalie to wear a mask in a game, but his 1970-71 season with the Leafs should be glorified forever.
#8. John Tavares (2018-19)
When you make $11M per season, you’re going to have a lot of critics. Add on the pressure of playing in front of your friends in family every night in the biggest hockey market in the world and that tension is multiplied by 1000.
Tavares had one of the best individual seasons in Toronto Maple Leafs history during his first year in Toronto, as he scored 47 goals and had 88 points. Sure his point-total doesn’t crack the top-10 of all-time, but 47 goals ranks him seventh in Leafs history. That goal-total was also good for third in the NHL during the 2018-19 season.
What makes this even more special is that pressure of returning home, like I mentioned before. Signing a big contract is one thing, but living up to it is another. We’ve seen players like David Clarkson return home and become a bust in the past and that was the last thing Leafs fans wanted to see with Tavares, who did the opposite and performed at an extremely high level.
#7. Mats Sundin (1996-97)
It wouldn’t be a Leafs history lesson without mentioning Mats Sundin. His third season in the blue-and-white was his best individual season, scoring 41 goals and registering 94 points.
Of every individual season in Toronto Maple Leafs history, Sundin’s 94 points is tied for 10th all-time. In an Era with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, Sundin was right up there with those players during the 1996-97 season, finishing seventh in NHL scoring.
Although it isn’t his best statistical season in his career, it was his best with the Leafs and it should be recognized as one of the greatest in team history.
#6. Rick Vaive (1981-82)
This was the greatest goal-scoring season in the history of the Leafs, but the reason why it’s not higher on this list is because of the Era. During the year that Vaive scored 54 goals, 10 players in the league scored 50 or more goals and three scored 60 or more. Gretzky had 92(!) goals that season for goodness sakes.
I’m not saying that goal-scoring was easier back then. Actually, yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. 75 players scored 30 or more goals that season, whereas during the 2018-19 season only 45 players did.
Although it was easier, we should still recognize Vaive for scoring those goals. He finished fifth in the NHL in goal-scoring that season, only behind Dino Ciccarelli, Dennis Maruk, Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky.
#5. Dave Andreychuk (1993-94)
The run in 1993-94 was a very special season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as they just missed out on reaching the Stanley Cup Finals. One of the reasons why the team had such a great season was because of Andreychuk.
Andreychuk racked up 99 points, which included 53 goals. He finished fourth in NHL goal-scoring that season and 9th in total points. One of his best stats was that he almost matched his point totals in penalty minutes, finishing with 98 PIM’s that season as well.
As much as the player we just discussed (Vaive) is listed as one of the most overrated Toronto Maple Leafs of all-time, Andreychuk has to be considered one of the most underrated. In terms of great players, his name doesn’t come up quite enough during conversation.
#4. Auston Matthews (2019-20)
This isn’t recency bias, folks. Matthews was having one of the greatest seasons in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs last year before the pandemic cut everything short. Matthews’ 35 even-strength goals tied him for the NHL lead in that category and his 47 total goals was second (just one back) in the league.
If he was able to finish out all 82-games, Matthews was on-pace for 55 goals and 94 points. Those numbers would have been good enough for the most goals in team history and 10th in total points scored.
When your team has someone as great as Matthews, it may be easy to take him for granted, but please don’t. We’re currently watching one of the greatest Leafs to ever play and I’m not even sure if he’s in his prime yet.
#3. Doug Gilmour (1993-94)
From 1992-to-1994, Gilmour was considered one of the greatest hockey players in the world. That’s amazing company any year, but when Wayne Gretzky is still playing, that’s even better. Gilmour is one of the most beloved Leafs in history and it’s easy to see why.
During the 1993-94 season, Gilmour had 111 points, finishing 4th in the NHL. Averaging one assist per game, Gilmour finished with 84 assists in 83 games, which was only second to Gretzky.
His vision and playmaking ability was one of the best that any Leafs player ever possessed and he’s one of the main reasons why the team had so much success in the early 1990s. This won’t be the last time we talk about Gilmour today.
#2. Darryl Sittler (1977-78)
It’s possible that a few Sittler seasons could have made this list, but we’ll stick with the 1977-78 season because that was the coming-out party for him and second greatest individual Leafs year in team history.
Sittler scored 117 points (45 goals, 72 assists) that season, which was good enough for third in the NHL. Only Guy Lafleur and Bryan Trottier had more points than him. With 117 points, Sittler broke his previous team record of 100 points in a campaign.
To this day, he’s only one of two people who have finished with 100 or more points in a season as a Leaf. Similar to Gilmour, Sittler’s team also lost in the Conference Finals that year.
#1. Doug Gilmour (1992-93)
Speaking of Gilmour, he’s back again. It’s quite possible that this season will never be topped as Gilmour finished with 127 points (32 goals, 95 assists). That point and assist total is still the Leafs all-time single-season record and it would be shocking if it gets broken anytime soon.
It’s crazy to think that Gilmour finished second in the NHL in assists that season and seventh in points, but scoring was a little easier back then. I could argue that Sittler’s 1977-78 season was more impressive as there were way less players who scored 100 points during that year, but Gilmour still deserves the top-spot.
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No matter the Era, scoring 127 points in a season is an amazing accomplishment. Unless Matthews or Marner can have one crazy season, I don’t expect this record to be broken anytime soon.