Leafs' Quarter-Century Teams A Reflection Of Toronto's Recent Playoff Successes

The NHL continued to roll out its Quarter-Century Teams this week, and on Saturday, it was the Toronto Maple Leafs’ turn to have their first and second teams revealed. And it’s no surprise that a trio of current Leafs made Toronto’s first team and that another two current Leafs made their second team. Nor was it a surprise that the Leafs’ ‘Core Four’ talent were all in the mix.

Leafs captain Auston Matthews and frequent linemate Mitch Marner both made the Buds’ first-team, as was Toronto’s No. 1 defenseman Morgan Rielly. And on the second team, right winger William Nylander and center John Tavares made up the other ‘Core Four’ players.

Including Saturday’s game against Boston, the ‘Core Four' forwards have combined to play 2,994 NHL regular-season games, and all of the games except for Tavares’ early career with the New York Islanders have been spent in Toronto. They're certainly all the most skilled players in recent years, and they've helped make one another better.

Otherwise, it was a slew of Leafs veterans from the earlier part of the past two-and-a-half decades that made up the rest of the spots on the Leafs’ first and second teams. Longtime captain Mats Sundin was the other first-team forward, blueliner Tomas Kaberle was the other first-team defenseman and Ed Belfour was the first-team goaltender. Each of them had some of their best seasons with the Leafs at or around the turn of the century.

Finally, comprising the rest of the Leafs’ second team was star right winger Phil Kessel, Kessel’s teammate Dion Phaneuf as well as Kaberle’s longtime teammate Bryan McCabe on defense, and in goal for the second team was Curtis Joseph, who spent his prime career years with the Leafs from 1998-2002.

All things considered, the quarter-century teams were a reflection of some of the Leafs’ most successful post-season teams. The Buds in the Joseph/Belfour Eras won seven playoff rounds – and they even got to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1998-99 and 2001-02 – while the Buds in the 'Core Four' Era gave Leafs fans their most recent playoff series win.

Related: NHL Quarter-Century Teams Tracker: Each Franchise's Best Players Since 2000

Otherwise, there’s nothing to take umbrage with here. The 12 players honored have been the Leafs’ most talented players in the past 25 years. And you didn’t see any players on the list from Toronto's seasons in which it tore down the roster and rebuilt from scratch – Phaneuf and Kessel were close but they did give fans that electric seven-game series with Boston back in 2012-13.

Ultimately, these quarter-century teams are meant to be a celebration of the best each franchise has had to offer, and that’s certainly true in Toronto’s case. Each of the players selected deserved to be celebrated, and if there were a new list created ranking the very best players in Leafs franchise history, most, if not all of the celebrated players would certainly be on it.

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