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Top 10 Individual Toronto Maple Leafs Seasons of All-Time

By Stephen Nixon

Brendan Shanahan #19 of the St. Louis Blues skates agains Doug Gilmour #93 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during NHL game action on February 18, 1995 at Maple Leaf Gardens (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images)
Brendan Shanahan #19 of the St. Louis Blues skates agains Doug Gilmour #93 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during NHL game action on February 18, 1995 at Maple Leaf Gardens (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 02: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in introduced as the Maple Leafs Captain, prior to during an NHL game against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena on October 2, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

#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.

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