Who are the best Maple Leafs players in this century?

"The last 25 years of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey may not have resulted in a championship, but it's been a lot of fun. From 2000-2004, the organization had lots of playoff success, before a tough stretch from 2005-2016. However, since 2016 the team has yet to miss the playoffs, which is very impressive. As we look back at the past 25 years, there have been a lot of great players to dawn the blue-and-white so let's look at the quarter-century team starting with the fowards."

"Think about the second line of Sundin and Nylander? The two offensive stars from Sweden would have been one of the best duo's in hockey. As we move forwards the third line, although Ryan O'Reilly played a few games here, he's a former Conn Smythe winner and his impact was powerful in a short time. Mix him with another defensively sound forward and some scoring with Mogilny and that's an insane combo."

The Toronto Maple Leafs experienced playoff runs from 2000–2004, endured a difficult stretch from 2005–2016, and have qualified for every postseason since 2016. The quarter-century lineup prioritizes balance across forward roles, pairing gritty, defensive forwards with elite scorers. Proposed forward lines feature a mix of franchise stars and impact veterans such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Mats Sundin, John Tavares, and Phil Kessel, supported by role players like Darcy Tucker, Gary Roberts, Nazem Kadri, and Zach Hyman. Defensive pairings include Bryan McCabe–Thomas Kaberle and Morgan Rielly–Chris Tanev, reflecting both offensive and shutdown capabilities.

Read at Editor In Leaf