It’s Hall of Fame weekend in Toronto, but how many future Hall-of-Famers are currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs?
As an optimistic Toronto Maple Leafs fan, there are 20 Hall-of-Famers that suit up for the team every night in my opinion.
Joking aside, the Leafs may not be constructed like the 2001-02 Detroit Red Wings but they have a number of worthy players.
Before we breakdown the locks for the Hall of Fame, let’s look at the maybe’s for the Hall-of-Fame:
The Toronto Maple Leafs Who Might Make the Hall of Fame
Jason Spezza
When Jason Spezza retires, there will be a huge debate at whether or not he’s a Hall-of-Famer. As it currently stands, he’s 25 points away from the 1000 point club but he’s never won any major individual awards.
He’s never led the league in goals, points and has never led his team to a Stanley Cup victory. He played a huge part with 22 points in 20 games during the Ottawa Senators trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, but he’s never actually won anything.
There are only 91 players in NHL history to have scored 1000 points, so that hitting that mark could get him there. However, I think he’ll have to play a few more years, finish with closer to 1,100 total points and a Stanley Cup in order for him to get more love for the Hall-of-Fame.
Morgan Rielly
At 27-years-old, Rielly still has a lot of time to get consideration for the Hall-of-Fame. Similar to Spezza, Rielly has never won a major award, but he has time on his side. He’s also going to get a serious look for Team Canada this year, so if he win a Gold Medal or two with that Olympic team in his career and can help win a Stanley Cup in Toronto, he may end up in the Hall-of-Fame.
William Nylander
At this point in his career, William has the same point-per-game totals as his father Michael (0.74 points per game), which isn’t enough to make him a Hall-of-Famer. It makes him a very good player, but probably not Hall-of-Fame worthy.
However, if William can become an annual 30-goal scorer and a huge piece on a Stanley Cup winning team, it may be enough to get him in when his career is over.
The Locks
John Tavares
Ever since Tavares given exceptional status in the Ontario Hockey League, people had forecasted Tavares as a Hall-of-Famer and he’s lived up to every expectation. Averaging almost one point-per-game for his entire career, Tavares is one of the most consistent point producers of the past decade and will be deserving of this honor.
Mitch Marner
Marner is a top-10 player and top-three winger in the NHL and is only going to get better. At 24-years-old, it wouldn’t be shocking if he eventually leads the league in points but he’ll more than likely average more than one point-per-game for his entire career.
Auston Matthews
When his career is all set and done, the names of Wayne Gretzky, Alexander Ovechkin, Gordie Howe and Auston Matthews are all going to be used in the same sentence, as Matthews will be among the top goal-scorers in NHL history.
For the next 10 seasons, Matthews is going to score a minimum of 40 goals per season and will probably score between 700-800 goals when his career is over. We haven’t seen a goal-scorer as good as him since Ovechkin and the Great Eight is currently fourth in all-time goal scoring with a few more years left in the tank.
Matthews is not only Hall-of-Fame worthy but he’ll go down as the greatest Toronto Maple Leafs player to ever live.