Top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs Goal Scorers of the Past 30 Years

I’ve been a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs for about 30 years now, and there have been some exciting goal scorers on the team in that time.

Since Auston Mathews won the Rocket Richard Trophy last season, I’ve been wondering who some of the all-time great Toronto Maple Leafs goal scorers have been.

After a bit of research, I decided that instead of doing an “All-Time” list, I would do this list of the Top 10 Goal Scorers of the Past 30 Years.  I didn’t see players like Charlie Conacher, Gordie Drillon or Gaye Stewart play, and I’m guessing not many people reading this article have (if any!), so I figured a list of players over the last 30 years would have more personal nostalgia for me.

I took a few things into consideration when compiling this list such as: how many 50+, 40+, 30+ and 20+ goal seasons the players had in Toronto, how many times they led the Toronto Maple Leafs in goals, where they ranked in the league for goals each season, and to a lesser extent where they rank in all-time franchise goals and where their individual season totals rank in franchise history.

I didn’t take into consideration how these players performed on other teams.  For example, Eric Lindros was a great goal scorer, but not while he was on the Toronto Maple Leafs, so you’re not going to see him on this list.

Toronto Maple Leafs Best Goal Scorers Honourable Mentions:

Here are a few players that deserve a quick mention even though they didn’t make the list:

Mike Gartner – Led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 35 goals in 1995-96.  8th in All-Time NHL Goals.
Nikolai Borshevsky – Led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 34 goals in 1992-93.
Alexander Mogilny – Scored 33 goals in 2002-03.
William Nylander – Scored 31 goals in 2019-20.
Nikolai Kulemin – Scored 30 goals in 2010-11.
Gary Roberts – Led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 29 goals in 2000-01.
Jason Blake – Led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 25 goals in 2008-09.
Glenn Anderson – Led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 24 goals in 1991-92.
P.A. Parenteau – Led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 20 goals in 2015-16.
Darcy Tucker – 148 goals as a Maple Leaf (29th All-Time)
Tyler Bozak – 136 goals as a Maple Leaf (31st All-Time)
Nik Antropov – 125 goals as a Maple Leaf (37th All-Time)
Alexei Ponikarovsky – 114 goals as a Maple Leaf (46th All-Time)

(All stats from quanthockey.com)

Without any further ado, let’s begin our list with #10:

Nazem Kadri

Nazem Kadri played parts of 10 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009-2019.  Though he’s more regarded for his grit as a two-way centre, he had some very productive years with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

His best seasons were in 2016-17 and 2017-18 where he scored careers highs of 32 goals each season. In 2016-17, he was second on the team in goals behind Auston Matthews, and in 2017-18, he was third behind James Van Riemsdyk and Auston Mathews.

In 2012-13, Nazem Kadri was tied with James Van Riemsdyk for second most goals on the Toronto Maple Leafs with 18 goals (behind Phil Kessel). He also netted 20 goals in 2013-14.

Nazem Kadri scored 161 goals in his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs which is the 4th most of any Maple Leaf in the last 30 years and 26th in Toronto Maple Leafs history.

Next up, a pure goal scorer with a short NHL career:

Doug Gilmour

Doug Gilmour played six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1991-1997 and one final game in 2003.  Gilmour was known more for his playmaking ability and killer attitude, but showing up at #8 on this list proves he was the full package.

He’s a Hall-of-Famer, Stanley Cup champion, Selke Trophy winner, Hart Trophy nominee, has his #93 hanging from the rafters at Scotiabank Arena, and holds the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise record for points in a season, but besides all that, he was a great goal scorer.

Doug Gilmour’s best goal scoring seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs came in 1992-93 and 1995-96 where he scored 32 goals in each of those seasons.  He also scored 27 goals in 1993-94, 26 goals split between the Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames in 1991-92, and 22 goals split between the Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils in 1996-97.

He never led the Toronto Maple Leafs in goals over a season, but Doug Gilmour did have the second most on the team in 1992-93 (behind Nikolai Borschevshy), the third most in 1993-94 (behind Dave Andreychuk and Wendel Clark), and the third most in 1995-96 (behind Mike Gartner and Mats Sundin).

Doug Gilmour’s highest NHL goal totals came while he was with the St. Louis Blues with 42 goals in 1986-87 and 36 goals in 1987-88.  He had three more 20+ goal seasons with St. Louis, three more with the Calgary Flames and one final 20+ goal season split between the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres in 1999-2000.  In total, he scorer 20 or more goals in 14 different NHL seasons.

His 131 goals as a Toronto Maple Leaf are the 7th most in the last 30 years and 32nd in franchise history.

You know you’re good when you’re simply known by your initials.  Next on the list is JVR:

James van Riemsdyk

James van Riemsdyk played six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2012-2018.  He was drafted second overall in 2007 by the Philadelphia Flyers and has been known for his goal scoring ability.

He would lead the Toronto Maple Leafs with 27 goals in 2014-15 and again in 2017-18 with a career best 36 goals in his final season with the  Leafs.  He was also second on the teams in goals in the shortened 2012-13 season with 18 goals (behind Phil Kessel), second on the team again in 2013-14 with 30 goals (behind Phil Kessel), and third on the team with 29 goals in 2016-17 (behind Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri).

JVR has also scored 20+ goals twice with the Philadelphia Flyers so far: once before he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs with 21 goals in 2010-11 and once in his first season returning to the Flyers with 27 goals in 2018-19.  He’s scored 20+ goals in six NHL seasons so far; four of those seasons were with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

His 154 goals as a Toronto Maple Leaf are the 5th most in the last 30 years and 28th in franchise history.

Next is a player who started his Toronto Maple Leafs career more than 30 years ago:

Wendel Clark

A legend among legends, Wendel Clark was drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1985 and played 13 seasons total during his three stints with the team.

He’s been immortalized as a statue on Legends Row in front of Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and his #17 hangs from the rafters inside the building.  He was the heart and soul of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He hit, he fought, he led and he scored!

1993-94 would be the best season of Wendel Clark’s NHL career as he would amass 46 goals in 64 games.  That’s the 4th most goals scored by a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in a single season over the last 30 years and the 10th most in franchise history.

Wendel Clark is the only player on this list to start playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs more than 30 years ago.  During the past 30 years, he also scored 30 goals with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1996-17, 32 goals split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders in 1995-96, and 32 goals split between Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings in 1998-99.

During his rookie season in 1985-96, Wendel Clark would score 34 goals as an 18 year old.  He would then score 37 goals the next season.  Over 15 NHL seasons, Wendel Clark had six seasons with at least 30 goals.

Wendel Clark also had two four goal games while on the Toronto Maple Leafs: one in 1986-87 and another in 1996-97.

His 134 goals as a Toronto Maple Leaf within the last 30 years are the 6th most in that time and his 260 total goals as a Toronto Maple Leaf is the 8th most in franchise history.

It was very tough to choose between Wendel Clark and this next player for the 5th spot:

John Tavares

John Tavares has been with the Toronto Maple Leafs for three seasons so far since joining the team before the 2018-19 season.  He previously spent nine seasons with the New York Islanders where he was drafted first overall in 2009.

The main reason why John Tavares finds himself in the #5 spot on this list is because of his phenomenal debut season with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018-19 where he led the team with a career high 47 goals.  John Tavares also had a four goal game that season.

Not only did John Tavares lead the Toronto Maple Leafs in goals in 2018-19, he was ranked third in the league that season (behind Alex Ovechkin and Leon Draisaitl).  The 47 goals also ties him for the second most goals scored by a Toronto Maple Leaf in the last 30 years (with Auston Mathews) and is tied for the 7th most goals scored in a season in Toronto Maple Leafs history (with Matthews and Lanny MacDonald).

John Tavares also scored 26 goals in 2019-20 and 19 goals in 2020-21 (both short seasons).  He had four seasons where he scored 30 goals or more with the New York Islanders and another five where he scored 20 goals or more.  He has scored at least 20 goals in all of his 12 NHL seasons except for last season (where he scored 19 in a short season).

Seeing this next player score was certainly a “thrill”:

Phil Kessel

Phil “The Thrill” Kessel played six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009-2015.  He is known for eating hot dogs and his quick release.  The way his stick flexes during a shot reminds me of a pulled back catapult.

Before he was a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he led the Toronto Maple Leafs in goal scoring in five of his six seasons with the club.  Phil Kessel also scored at least 20 goals in all six seasons he played in Toronto.

The best seasons of his career so far were in 2011-12 and 2013-14 where he scored 37 goals in each of those seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  In 2013-14, he was also tied with Tyler Seguin for 5th most goals in the league.

Phil Kessel scored 30 or more goals four times as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He had 30 goals in his first season with the Maple Leafs in 2009-10 and 32 goals in 2010-11.

Kessel also had 36 goals in his final season with the Boston Bruins in 2008-09 and 34 goals in 2017-18 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.  That’s six NHL seasons so far with at least 30 goals.

His 181 goals as a Toronto Maple Leaf are the 3rd most in the last 30 years and 19th in franchise history.

The next player on the list scored more goals during his NHL career than anyone else on this list:

Dave Andreychuk

Dave Andreychuk only played two full seasons and two split seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they were some incredible seasons.  He was a powerplay specialist and a beast in front of the net.

He’s a Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup champion who holds the record for the most career powerplay goals with 274 and is ranked 15th for most career goals in NHL history with 640 goals.

Dave Andreychuk’s best season with the Toronto Maple Leafs was one of the best seasons by any goal scorer in Toronto Maple Leafs history.  In 1993-94, Dave Andreychuk led the Toronto Maple Leafs with 53 goals.  That’s the most goals any Maple Leaf has scorer in a season during the last 30 years and the second most goals scored in a season in Toronto Maple Leafs history.

Andreychuk also scored 54 goals split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres in 1993-94 and scored at least 20 goals in all four seasons with the Maple Leafs.  Before coming to Toronto, Dave Andreychuk scored 30 goals or more in a season seven times with the Buffalo Sabres including a 41 goal season in 1991-92 and a 40 goal season in 1989-90.

In 23 NHL seasons, Dave Andreychuk scored at least 20 goals in 19 seasons! He had nine seasons with at least 30 goals, four seasons with at least 40 goals and two seasons with over 50 goals.

His 120 goals as a Toronto Maple Leaf are the 9th most in the last 30 years and 39th in franchise history.

Some may say that this next player is the greatest Toronto Maple Leaf of all time:

Mats Sundin

Mats Sundin was drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989, and played 13 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1994-2008.  He scored at least 20 goals in every season he played in Toronto.

He’s a Hall of Famer, has a statue on Legends Row, and has his #13 retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs.  His 420 goals as a Maple Leaf are the most in franchise history and his 564 career goals are tied for the 24th most in NHL history (with Joe Nieuwendyk).

In his 13 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mats Sundin led the team in goals 10 times.  He had two seasons with 40 goals or more and 10 seasons with 30 goals or more as a Maple Leaf.

Sundin’s best goal totals as a Toronto Maple Leaf came in 1996-96 and 2001-02 where he would score 41 goals in each of those two seasons.  In 2001-02, his 41 goals were the second most in the NHL.

Mats Sundin also had a four goal game while on the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005-06.

Before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mats Sundin had a career best 47 goals in 1992-93 with the Quebec Nordiques.  He had two 30+ goal seasons with Quebec and scored at least 20 goals in all four seasons he played with the Nordiques.

In total, Mats Sundin had three NHL seasons with 40 goals or more, 13 seasons with 30 goals or more and 17 seasons with 20 goals or more.

It’s hard to believe that someone could be higher than Mats Sundin on this list:

Auston Mathews

Auston Mathews was drafted first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016 and has played five seasons with the team so far.  He is a very diverse goal scorer that seems to be able to score from anywhere and seems to learn new tricks every season.

Auston Matthews is #1 on this list of the Top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs Goal Scorers of the Past 30 Years because he is the first Toronto Maple Leaf to lead the NHL in goal scoring since Gaye Stewart in 1945-46.  He also has an NHL record for scoring four goals in his very first game as a rookie.

He led the NHL last season with 41 goals in 52 games, he had the second most goals in the league during his rookie season with 40 goals in 2016-17 (behind Sidney Crosby) and he had the third most goals in the league in 2019-20 with 47 goals (behind Alex Ovechkin and David Pastrnak).

Those three seasons he led the Toronto Maple Leafs in scoring, was a top three goal scorer in the NHL and had 40 goals or more.  He also had 37 goals in 68 games in 2018-19 and 34 goals in 62 games in 2017-18.  He’s had at least 30 goals in every season he’s played so far.

His 47 goal season in 2019-20 also ties him for the second most goals scored by a Toronto Maple Leaf in the last 30 years (with John Tavares) and is tied for the 7th most goals scored in a season in Toronto Maple Leafs history (with Tavares and Lanny MacDonald).

Auston Matthews has 199 goals as a Toronto Maple Leaf so far which is the second most in the last 30 years and 14th in franchise history. He’s only 31 goals away from cracking the top 10 of “the most goals scored in Toronto Maple Leafs history.”

Well, there’s my list.  Who makes your top 10 list of Toronto Maple Leafs goal scorers of the past 30 years?  Let me know in the comment section.