Ranking the Most Important Toronto Maple Leafs in Playoffs From 20-1

Every Toronto Maple Leafs player is important during the playoffs, but some bigger than others.

It wasn’t that long ago that a Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game wasn’t a guarantee, however that’s all we look forward to now as fans.

Just a few short years ago, we were losing our minds about making the playoffs, but now, as crazy as it sounds, we dread it.

The Leafs have been successful for 82 regular season games over the past six years but they haven’t been able to string together four wins in seven games, yet.

After another seven-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, the Leafs will once again face the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions.

The Lightning are an example of a modern-day dynasty and everything Leafs fans hoped their team would become.

They’re built in a similar fashion, except that they have one of the best defenseman and goaltenders of the past decade. Victor Hedman and Andrei Vasilevskiy give the Lightning a huge advantage in any series that the Leafs can’t match, but we shouldn’t doubt their chances.

Toronto is solid from top-to-bottom and if they can get a little lucky, there’s no reason to believe they can’t beat Tampa.

There are some players that are more important than others so if the following players can play their role and be the best they can be, the Leafs should go a long way. Let’s rank the Leafs roster from 20-1, from least to most important to beating the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ranking the Most Important Toronto Maple Leafs: No. 20-16

No. 20: Zack Aston-Reese

Aston-Reese could fly up the rankings after his recent scoring surge, but it’s still possible he won’t be in the line-up every night. Whether it’s Matthew Knies or Wayne Simmonds taking his spot, it’s possible that he only plays a few games.

However, I like the way he plays and his hard-hatting mentality and grit should go a long way in the playoffs.

No. 19: Sam Lafferty

The depth forward won’t be asked to do much this playoff-run so that’s why he ranks lower. However, his ability to slide between centre, wing and possibly play on the third-line makes him more valuable.

No. 18: Noel Acciari

Some looked at Accirari as an after-thought in the Ryan O’Reilly trade but he’s far from that. Acciari could be one of those players who scores a big goal when nobody expects, but most importantly, let’s hope he’s 100 percent healthy when the playoffs start.

No. 17: David Kampf

This man can kill penalties, win face-offs and always seems to keep the puck out of the defensive zone. He’s not a player that gets a lot of air-time but he’s incredibly valuable doing all of the things that the skilled players don’t want to do.

No. 16: Timothy Liljegren

After a fantastic start to the year, Liljegren has cooled off. He ranks as the least important regular defenseman right now and could find himself in the press box for Luke Schenn if he keeps up his sloppy play of late.

Ranking the Most Important Leafs: No. 15-11

No. 15:  Justin Holl

If you asked me prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, I would’ve assumed Holl would be traded or scratched by now, but he’s looked good of late. He’s not going to be playing huge minutes in the playoffs, but it seems likely he will be playing every night.

No. 14: Alex Kerfoot

Similarly to Holl, I expected Kerfoot to be traded at the deadline, but he’s still around. His game is very frustrating because he can look very good one period, then gets benched the next. If Kerfoot can play at his peak, he could be a very valuable player providing depth scoring or he could find himself on the fourth-line.

No. 13: Calle Jarnkrok

Jarnkrok is heating up at the right time right now, reaching a new career-high in goals. His wrist-shot is unbelievable and he looks really good in the team’s top-six. After experimenting with the lines over the past month, the team may have found something with Jarnkrok and he could be that difference-maker in a long series.

No. 12: Matthew Knies

Knies is only No. 12 on this list because we’ve never seen him play in the NHL. If he plays well it’s just a bonus for the Leafs, but the team doesn’t necessarily need him to score to win. If he ends up playing and looks like the Hobey Baker Finalist he was in the NCAA then the Leafs are going to be almost impossible to stop.

No. 11: TJ Brodie

Coming in as the fourth most-important defenseman, Brodie will play some hard minutes during the playoffs. He’s currently paired on the team’s top-pairing but I still think there are three other defenseman who will be more valuable during the playoffs.

Ranking the Most Important Leafs: No. 10-6

No. 10: Michael Bunting

Bunting is the type of player who can legitimate be an “x-factor” during the playoffs. Not only will he be a pest to play against, but he’s now a proven 20-goal scorer who can make a legitimate impact on the ice.

No. 9: Jake McCabe

The newly acquired defenseman is turning into one of the team’s best defenseman right now. McCabe is going to be relied upon heavily for big minutes in the playoffs this year and he’ll be one of the most important defenseman to help this team to victory.

It wouldn’t be shocking if McCabe ends up with the first or second most minutes played during the team’s playoff run.

No. 8: Mark Giordano

Giordano has been the team’s most consistent defenseman all year. Despite his age, Giordano is one of the most important players to the team’s defense. In terms of importance, a Giordano injury would probably be the most devastating of any blue-liner.

No. 7: Morgan Rielly

He may be perceived as having a down-year, but his value to the Leafs is still huge. If Rielly can return back to the defenseman he was a few years ago, he can have a huge importance on team success.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are lacking scoring from the blue-line, but Rielly can change that. By playing a good playoff series against the Lightning, Rielly can turn this Leafs blue-line from good to great.

No. 6: John Tavares

The captain of the Leafs always shows up is one of the most consistent players on the team. He’s essentially a point-per-game player every year and that should continue in the playoffs.

In terms of importance, the Leafs will need a big series from him but if isn’t his best, it shouldn’t effect the outcome of a series.