What will it take for Matthews to be the best Leaf ever?

[Legion34]

Leafs have won 13 though. Why would we exclude the 40 year period where the Leafs were the best team in the league?

Because they haven’t won a cup since the NHl was a full time job.

Those cups count. But to try to suggest these are the same is silly.

Sundin was already determined/voted to be the greatest leaf of all time and he had none

 

[Space umpire]

You do realize about half the league has never won a cup right. Do those teams just not have a greatest player of all time?

How did those players perform during the playoffs? If you want to see great players perform like winning it means everything to them. Watch McDavid play.
Want to see players show how the missed opportunity hurt watch Dallas in the handshake line and the post game presser. Those guys were crushed for having lost.
Now watch the same from Toronto. See the difference?

 

[Legion34]

How did those players perform during the playoffs? If you want to see great players perform like winning it means everything to them. Watch McDavid play.
Want to see players show how the missed

opportunity hurt watch Dallas in the handshake line and the post game presser. Those guys were crushed for having lost.
Now watch the same from Toronto. See the difference?

What?
when mcdavid signs with Toronto. Scores 1000 points and leads the leafs to the cup. He will be the best leaf of all time.

The best leaf of all time is already determined to be mats Sundin. Who never won a cup or played in the final.

I wish Toronto had better players and a better history. But they don’t.

what if a team never makes the playoffs? Or wins a round. Can they never have a best player of all time?

 

[Space umpire]

What?
when mcdavid signs with Toronto. Scores 1000 points and leads the leafs to the cup. He will be the best leaf of all time.

The best leaf of all time is already determined to be mats Sundin. Who never won a cup or played in the final.

I wish Toronto had better players and a better history. But they don’t.

what if a team never makes the playoffs? Or wins a round. Can they never have a best player of all time?

Of course they can as long as they don’t act like p***yes during playoffs.

 

[Legion34]

Of course they can as long as they don’t act like p***yes during playoffs.

That’s not a valid term or use of measurement.

None of this makes sense.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Health and longevity. If he can accomplish those, I think he would have a genuine shot at Ovechkin's goal record. Likely a pipedream though. No one has Ovi's freakish health/longevity.

 

[BLNY]

Win.

/thread

 

[hfman]

Give Justin Bieber the deciding vote.

this picture right here explains the problem. It's embarrassing really.

 

[Regal]

It’s such a difficult question because if he stays with the team there’s a fairly strong chance of him being the best regular season player in franchise history, but the team has won so many times that if he never improves his playoffs it will feel like his regular season play won’t be enough to compare with the players who were instrumental in past wins, but at the same time, the Leafs also won all their championships years ago back when it was much easier to win given the size of the league, so maybe they shouldn’t prevent him from being considered the best.

 

[SharksFan1992]

Leaving

 

[Hippasus]

The thing that stands out to me is that that list f***ING SUCKS.

Surely this is the worst list of players from an original six team by a light year?

Rangers maybe.

 

[Weztex]

[…]

Sundin was already determined/voted to be the greatest leaf of all time and he had none

This says a lot about how little Toronto media/fans know about their own history.

Matthews is up against guys like Apps, Conacher or Bower (who he can reach). Not Sundin or Keon.

 

[Hippasus]

Artificial intelligence claims it's Dave Keon.

 

[hfman]

It’s such a difficult question because if he stays with the team there’s a fairly strong chance of him being the best regular season player in franchise history, but the team has won so many times that if he never improves his playoffs it will feel like his regular season play won’t be enough to compare with the players who were instrumental in past wins, but at the same time, the Leafs also won all their championships years ago back when it was much easier to win given the size of the league, so maybe they shouldn’t prevent him from being considered the best.

dude what?

 

[Legion34]

This says a lot about how little Toronto media/fans know about their own history.

Matthews is up against guys like Apps, Conacher or Bower (who he can reach). Not Sundin or Keon.

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a fan vote. I’m pretty sure it was the team who decided it. I could be wrong, it could be media. But I definitely do not think jt was the fans.

It could have had HHOF/league involvement

 

[PistolPete]

Matthews is expected to become #1 all time goalscoror for the Leafs. According to an article, he is currently the fifth best all time Leaf, and he still has half of a career left.

Leaf all time rankings:

View attachment 1042730

This got me thinking, will Matthews become the greatest Maple Leaf in history? And what will it take?. I’d say a trip to the Stanley cup final along with a few more Rockets or one Hart will do it. It’s a 32 team league now, but playoff success will still be vital.

By PO success do you mean team success or personal stats?

 

[MoneyManny]

You do realize about half the league has never won a cup right. Do those teams just not have a greatest player of all time?

What? The greatest player of any team who hasn't won the cup doesn't need to have won the cup kinda by default, no? What's your point?

The Leafs have 13 cups. Clearly not the issue here.

 

[RI.B FAN]

Such a stupid thread for the main board,

 

[Hockey2Hockey]

I looked at the greatest Leafs list. That's an underwhelming group. Sundin is the third or fourth greatest Leaf.

He wouldn't even be a top 15 Habs player.

He wouldn't crack Detroit or Boston's top ten list.

 

[Coffey]

RAISING LORD STANLEY

 

[qcal1427]

I think in terms of "best" as in "most talented player to play their best years with the Leafs" he's probably already there. As for "greatest" he needs to win a cup and be either the Smythe winner or runner-up IMO.

For USMNT fans, it's kind of how I feel about Pulisic vs. Dempsey/Donovan

 

[RevengeOfTheDrai]

By PO success do you mean team success or personal stats?

Team success to the Stanley cup final where Matthews at-least plays at his regular season level or better. I feel like that would be enough to erase past failures in Leaf fan’s minds. Even if they lose the cup, Matthews playing like a superstar should play and captaining his team to the biggest stage will show his personal growth, character development and along with regular season stats will be just enough for Leaf GOAT status.

 

[landy]

I’d say he already is. If he finishes his career a leaf, he 100% is. If he does the unthinkable, he’s immortal there.

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Success in the playoffs.