5 former Leafs players who excelled after leaving Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had no shortage of players that found their best hockey after leaving the organization.

Though Toronto’s been a consistent playoff team since 2017, and finally won their first postseason series since 2004 earlier this year, it’s no surprise that there’s a plethora of players that have performed better once leaving the perennially cursed Leafs.

Here are five Leafs in recent memory who found their groove on their next team after Toronto.

Phil Kessel

Leafs stats: Six seasons (2009-15), 446 GP, 181 G, 213 A, 394 PTS

Left Toronto via: 2015 trade to Pittsburgh Penguins

Phil Kessel was one of the most dynamic offensive players Toronto has seen in decades, and yet he still managed to have an even more impressive career once leaving the city. Winning two Cups in his first two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kessel brought back the Stanley Cup to Toronto once again this past year after winning his third title with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Nazem Kadri

Leafs stats: 10 seasons (2009-19), 561 GP, 161 G,  196 A, 357 PTS

Left Toronto via: 2019 trade to Colorado

Nazem Kadri gave the Leafs pretty much all you could expect out of a top-10 draft selection, playing 10 seasons for the Blue and White.

But after being sent to the Colorado Avalanche following a high-profile hit in the 2019 playoffs that saw him pick up a major suspension, Kadri found himself having the best offensive season of his career in 2021-22, putting up 28 goals and 59 assists for a total of 87 points.

To top it off, Kadri’s Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, with him departing for the Calgary Flames last summer on a shiny new seven-year contract.

Alex Steen

Leafs stats: Four seasons (2005-09), 253 GP, 50 G, 76 A, 126 PTS

Left Toronto via: 2009 trade to St. Louis

A 2002 first-round pick of the Leafs, Steen found himself playing in an era where the playoffs eluded Toronto for years and years.

Spending four seasons with the team, Steen was traded in 2009 to St. Louis for Lee Stempniak, who lasted two seasons in Toronto before finding his way onto nine other NHL teams. Steen himself spent 12 years with the Blues, including four 20-goal seasons,  culminating in winning the 2019 Stanley Cup before his retirement in 2020.

Tyler Bozak

Leafs stats: Nine seasons (2009-18), 594 GP, 136 G, 229 A, 365 PTS

Left Toronto via: 2018 free agent contract with St. Louis

Tyler Bozak’s time in Toronto began as an undrafted college free agent, a player archetype with usually tons of hype but limited NHL success. Bozak found himself almost immediately thrust into a top-six role alongside Kessel and later James Van Riemsdyk, putting up 19 minutes of ice time per game in each of his first six seasons.

Bozak left the Leafs in the summer of 2018 as a free agent and joined Steen on the St. Louis Blues, where he won the Stanley Cup in his first season.

Though Bozak didn’t officially retire, it seems like his NHL career is over, as he didn’t play anywhere in the 2022-23 season.

Zach Hyman

Leafs stats: Six seasons (2015-21), 345 GP, 86 G, 99 A, 185 PTS

Left Toronto via: 2021 free agent contract with Edmonton

The only player still on this list chasing a Stanley Cup, few players in hockey history will ever get the chance to play with the class of linemates Zach Hyman has had.

Currently a staple of the Oilers’ top-six forward group, where he’s usually playing alongside Connor McDavid and/or Leon Draisaitl, the Toronto native put up a career-high 36 goals and 83 points this past season at age 30.

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