It’s tough to give a definitive answer to who the best player in a franchise’s history is, nevermind a franchise like Toronto, which is more than a century old. We won’t determine the best player in Leafs history, but I’ll give you some players that have a case for it, and why.
Mats Sundin
Every Leafs fan, no matter what age, holds Mats Sundin near and dear to their heart. Whether they remember watching him play or have heard stories of his career, Sundin’s name will always be synonymous with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
During the 1994 NHL draft, Sundin was traded from the Quebec Nordiques to the Maple Leafs in a trade where Toronto sent captain Wendel Clark the other way. Sundin was 23 years old at the time of the trade and was immediately the future of the franchise.
The Swede had 224 points in 205 games in his first three seasons with the Maple Leafs before getting named the 16th captain in the franchise’s history just before the 1997-98 season. In his captaincy with the Leafs, they went to the playoffs six straight times from 199-2004, reaching the conference finals twice.
When it was all said and done, Sundin played 13 season with the Maple Leafs and was the captain for ten of them. He finished his Leafs career with 987 points (420G, 567A) in 981 games, the most points in Maple Leafs history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.
While he doesn’t have any cups on his resume, he still had more playoff success than Toronto’s recent history. His franchise topping point total and longevity with the team make a case for Sundin being the greatest Maple Leaf of all time.
Dave Keon
Keon joined the Leafs in the 1960-61 season at 20 years old. There wasn't an NHL entry draft until 1963, so teams acquired prospects by buying the rights to their junior teams. Toronto bought the rights to Keon's team, the Noranda Lions in order to get Keon. As a matter of fact, they did it specifically to get him.
It's safe to say the move worked out wonderfully for Toronto. He had 45 points in his rookie year which was 5th on the Maple Leafs, and won the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year. He only had two points in five playoff games in his rookie season before really finding his footing.
Keon was in the top three in the Leafs in points each season until the 1966-67 season, a span of six seasons. In that time, he had 333 points in 402 games which was 2nd on the Leafs only to Frank Mahovlich and 11th in the league.
That six season stretch saw the Maple Leafs win four Stanley Cups. Keon was an integral part of each team and received the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP in 1967, and remains as the last Maple Leaf to win the trophy.
Keon always demonstrated tremendous sportsmanship throughout his career, winning the Lady Byng trophy six times for gentlemanly conduct. He is a huge piece of some of the Leafs most successful years, and will always be a name that comes up in the conversation for the best Maple Leaf of all time.
Borje Salming
When you think about defensemen in Toronto Maple Leafs history, its very hard not to immediately think of Borje Salming. He signed with the Maple Leafs as an undrafted free agent from Brynäs IF in Sweden in 1973. From his rookie season, Salming was the backbone of the Leafs defensive corps.
Salming spent 16 seasons with the Maple Leafs, contributing to the team reaching the playoffs in 12 of them. In those 12 playoffs, he had 49 points in 81 games as the teams #1 defenseman. Unfortunately for Salming, his Maple Leafs never reached the cup finals in his tenure, reaching the conference finals in 1978.
The defenseman finished his time with the Leafs with 768 points (148g, 620a), which is fourth in franchise history for points and the most points in franchise history for a defenseman. He was nominated for the Norris trophy for best defenseman in the league four times, but never took home the award.
Although he never won the Norris, he did win the Viking award for the best Swedish player in the league three times in his career. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997. Sadly, Salming passed away in 2022 at the age of 71 years old. He will always be remembered fondly in Leafs fans eyes, and will always be in the conversation for best Leaf of all time, and there isn't much of an argument that he's the best Leafs defenseman of all time.
Darryl Sittler
With the 8th overall pick in the 1970 NHL Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Darryl Sittler from the London Knights. He went on and had a 15 year NHL career, 12 of them with the Leafs. Points wise, he had a slow start to his career with just 18 and 32 points in his first two seasons. He found his footing with a 77 point third season and after that, he was a point-per-game or better for the rest of his Leafs career.
Sittler was named captain of the Maple Leafs just before the 1975-76 season. In his first season as Maple Leafs captain, he became the first player in franchise history to have an 100 point season (41g, 59a). It was the first of two 100 point seasons in his career, the second of which he had 117 points (45g, 72a) in the 1977-78 season.
The former Leafs captain also holds an NHL record which stands nearly 50 years, and seems near impossible to break in today's day and age. On February 7th, 1976, Sittler recorded 10 points (6g, 4a) in an 11-4 win over the Boston Bruins, an NHL record for most points in a single game. Not only is it a record lasting decades, but it has a cushion as well with the next best game at eight points.
Darryl Sittler continues to be a part of this conversation not only because of his fantastic offensive output throughout his career, but his lengthy tenure with the Maple Leafs and career success he had as the captain of the team.
Johnny Bower
It's tough to have this conversation about any team and leave out arguably the most successful goalie in the franchises history. Bower joined the Leafs for the 1958-59 season and stayed in Toronto for the rest of his career where he retired after the 1968-69 campaign.
Bower was a top goalie in the league during his time with the Maple Leafs. He maintained a save percentage well above .900% throughout his Leafs career with a career worst .912 with Toronto. Even if anyone was paying attention to save percentages at the time, it was in the 1962-63 season and in those playoffs, Bower had a .949 in the playoffs leading Toronto to their second of three straight Stanley Cups.
The fan favourite goaltender is among the winningest goaltender in Leafs history. He is tied with Turk Broda for the most Stanley Cups by a goaltender in Maple Leafs history with four. Bower's four cups all came in the 60s when Toronto won four cups in six years. Bower also won the Vezina trophy for best goalie in the league in 1961 and 1965.
In retirement, Bower remained a beloved figure in Leafs nation. He always kept up a positive image and had many public appearances, interacting with fans wherever he went. He got into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976. He passed away in 2017, but will always remain in the hearts of hockey and Leafs fans everywhere.
Auston Matthews
The most recent face of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been very quickly climbing up the ranking of all time great Maple Leafs. After the 2015-16 season, the Maple Leafs were in desperate need of a new start and got it with the #1 overall pick in the 2016 Entry Draft, which they used to draft Matthews. He even kickstarted his career with a four-goal debut against the Ottawa Senators.
In his first nine NHL seasons, Matthews has 727 points (401g, 326a) in 629 games, which is 9th in the NHL in that time. While he is 9th in points, his 401 career goals is the most in the NHL in that time, and already second in Leafs history, just 19 points behind Mats Sundin. With 19 goals, Matthews should surpass that in the 2025-26 season. Matthews also has the most goals in Leafs history in a season with 69 tallies in the 2023-24 season.
The Maple Leafs named Matthews as the 26th captain in franchise history prior to the 2024-25 season. The Leafs lost to the Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs in his first year as captain. Clearly it wasn't the result that fans were looking for but it was the furthest Toronto got in the playoffs since 2002.
Matthews has three years left on his 13.5 million dollar deal. He is all but guaranteed to pass Sundin for the most goals in franchise history, more than likely next season. If he does leave in free agency in 2028, he would need to to average at least 86 points per season over the next three years to surpass Sundin for the most points in Leafs history. With Mitch Marner out the door to Vegas, Matthews could very well hold that title when it's all said and done.
Auston Matthews already holds the title for the best Leaf of this generation, and arguably has a top-5 all time Leaf spot already locked up. If he sticks around for the rest of his career, it is very hard to believe he won't end up as the greatest Leaf of all time by the end of his career, if he isn't already.
Honourable Mentions
There are certainly more players in Maple Leafs history who have an argument for best Leaf ever. It's unfair to have this debate without at least mentioning players like Frank Mahovlich, George Armstrong, Syl Apps, Turk Broda, Doug Gilmour and more. The list really could go on, I just wrote who I believe could have the best case, but it's not limited to just that. Who do you think is the greatest Leaf of all time?