Speculation: Worst Defence-man in Leaf History

[banks]

Barrie and Lebda are the ones that stand out in my memory. I don't hate a lot, but I absolutely hated both those guys. I truly cheered when they were off the team.

Beauchemin and Komisarek deserve an honorable mention for being the twin failures that kicked of the dark Brian Burke period.

 

[MilkofthePoppy]

Berg would be top 4 on this current team. Not even close to being the worst defenseman.

I dunno why anybody would pick players that saw the second round consistently and even a conference final with this organization. I wasn't a fan of Cory Cross but he did score some big goals against Ottawa in the playoffs. Most of my picks would come from the two most recent dark eras of Leafs hockey: 2005 - 2013 and 2014 - 2016, fortunately I have forced myself to forget those horrible periods.

 

[Nylanderthal]

Aki Berg

Nonsense, Aki was a serviceable bottom pairing guy who ate pucks and had a mean high and hard off the glass. He never lived up to draft billing, but was fine in a role.
The answer is Jeff finger & Brett lebda

 

[Nineteen67]

Berg would be top 4 on this current team. Not even close to being the worst defenseman.

Aki Berg was gawd awful and yet you’re absolutely right.

 

[The Iceman]

I dunno why anybody would pick players that saw the second round consistently and even a conference final with this organization. I wasn't a fan of Cory Cross but he did score some big goals against Ottawa in the playoffs. Most of my picks would come from the two most recent dark eras of Leafs hockey: 2005 - 2013 and 2014 - 2016, fortunately I have forced myself to forget those horrible periods.

Cross cost us Freddy Modin, a trade doomed from the moment it happened.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Jim Korn
Wayne Hillman
Mike Pelyk
Staffan Kronwall
Brett Lebda
Jeff Finger
Mike Komisarek
Keith Aulie
Calle Johansson
Woz

Wayne Hillman never played here. His brother Larry did, and he was arguably the team's best d-man during the '67 playoff run. Punch Imlach constantly screwed Larry over by sending him back and forth between the Leafs and the AHL. He never played another game in the minors after leaving the Leafs.

 

[therealkoho]

Wayne Hillman never played here. His brother Larry did, and he was arguably the team's best d-man during the '67 playoff run. Punch Imlach constantly screwed Larry over by sending him back and forth between the Leafs and the AHL. He never played another game in the minors after leaving the Leafs.

You sir are correct! It was Larry who patrolled the Leafs blueline in the glory years, and yes the 12 game 67 playoff run was unreal and set some kind of record that may still stand. I thank you for bringing that to my attention! The Leafs had a pretty talented bunch of guys on a very deep blueline, Horton being the best of them of course. Once Hillman left Toronto with the exception of Montreal, he was always one of the better Dmen of a not very good crew on an expansion team

That said, however Hillman was in Punchs' doghouse for most of the 60s. He was, in fact, in that doghouse far more frequently than Eddie Shack ever was, and as we know the Entertainer spent a lot of time there. The only permanent seat belonged to Carl Brewer, who might be a top 10 Leafs Dman all time, Carl had so much talent.

Hillman was only twice in the Leafs opening day lineup and both times sooner or later ended up either in Rochester or Springfield, but I digress. Most often Hillman started the season in the minors, but did play a good number of games as a first call-up type of guy

The only other dman who drew Imlachs ire for bone headed mistakes in his own end was Kent Douglas, a smallish guy who had a penchant for puck watching and chasing guys around the net. And in fact may deserve a spot on that list more than Larry Hillman does, Hillman at least had some offensive flair and was a pretty rough customer.

 

[Stephen]

I think the single worst thing I saw in a Leaf uniform were the 2 random games Phil Housley played at the end of his career in 2003. Small, slow, old, clueless.

 

[cupdreaming]

Mike Kostka

 

[William Hylander]

Komisarek

 

[TMLife17]

Barrie and Lebda are the ones that stand out in my memory. I don't hate a lot, but I absolutely hated both those guys. I truly cheered when they were off the team.

Beauchemin and Komisarek deserve an honorable mention for being the twin failures that kicked of the dark Brian Burke period.

I was at the Flames game last night still cursing his name watching him skate for Nashville. Kadri died for this

 

[Discoverer]

Jyrki Lumme? heh

My only real memory of Lumme was a play where he realized there were too many men on the ice, made a mad dash for the bench, skated past the open door, and tried to jump over the boards to get off the ice. The Leafs got a too many men penalty.

So... I would second his name based on that alone.

 

[67leafs]

Francois Leroux
oh wait

 

[diehardleafsfan9878]

I think that 5th goal tonight cements it. Klingberg is the worst

 

[darrylsittler27]

Aki Berg was gawd awful and yet you’re absolutely right.

What a sad franchise. Remember when they signed Finger and then realized he wasn't who they thought he was rofl. I'm going to say Kurvers because they gave up Scott Niedermayer for him. But man it's tough because Toronto loves garbage defensemen, especially those who help them lose after they trade their first rounder.

 

[GlitchMarner]

I may get heat for this since he seems to be a popular player and is deceased, but I thought Wade Belak was atrocious when he played defense after the Lockout. He was like a defenseman version of Clarkson: Terrible skating, no offensive skill, lackluster hockey IQ.

I was a fan of McCabe and he was very good for a period, but he had some struggles late in his tenure as a Leaf. Phaneuf wasn't great toward the end of his run with TOR.

Lebda was horrible. So was Mike Komisarek.

I didn't like Ceci at all. Thought he was constantly making costly mistakes.

When I was a kid, I thought MaCoun sucked because he never scored and basically had no offensive ability (circa '97). I may have underrated him in general, though I guess he was pretty much cooked by then.

Barrie was like Klingberg: Poor defensively, made too many mistakes and wasn't good enough offensively to make up for his flaws.

 

[StuckOutHere]

Has to be lebda if only for the lebda game.

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Tyson Barrie was definitely up there. And I think he was worse than Klingberg honestly.

 

[The Iceman]

What a sad franchise. Remember when they signed Finger and then realized he wasn't who they thought he was rofl. I'm going to say Kurvers because they gave up Scott Niedermayer for him. But man it's tough because Toronto loves garbage defensemen, especially those who help them lose after they trade their first rounder.

That was the trade of diminishing assets.
A history lesson on Leafs player evaluation back in the early 90s.

Kurvers for a1st
1st was #3 overall and became HOF player Scott Niedermayer.
(Kurvers 15G and 50 points in 70 games was good as an offensive D)

Kurvers for centre Brian Bradley happened 2 years later.

The next season Leafs left Bradley available in the expansion draft and he scored 42 goals and 86 points for the first year TB Lightning.

*Fun fact, Leafs were terrible in Kurver's second season, and without their 1st round draft pick were facing the possibility that the 1st would be 1st overall.
One problem,
This was the Eric Lindros draft year and the optics of giving up the pick that became Lindros did not sit well with management.
So they canned coach Doug Carpenter @ 1W 9L and promoted Tom Watt.
Made a bunch of trades to get out of the basement including Quebec giving up 3 solid players for 2-2nd round picks and 21 year old former 6th overall pick Scott Pearson.

Getting rid of 3 veteran players put Quebec into the cellar and boasted Toronto to third worse thus securing the rights to Eric Lindros for Quebec.

And now you know the rest of the story

 

[The Iceman]

I may get heat for this since he seems to be a popular player and is deceased, but I thought Wade Belak was atrocious when he played defense after the Lockout. He was like a defenseman version of Clarkson: Terrible skating, no offensive skill, lackluster hockey IQ.

I was a fan of McCabe and he was very good for a period, but he had some struggles late in his tenure as a Leaf. Phaneuf wasn't great toward the end of his run with TOR.

Lebda was horrible. So was Mike Komisarek.

I didn't like Ceci at all. Thought he was constantly making costly mistakes.

When I was a kid, I thought MaCoun sucked because he never scored and basically had no offensive ability (circa '97). I may have underrated him in general, though I guess he was pretty much cooked by then.

Barrie was like Klingberg: Poor defensively, made too many mistakes and wasn't good enough offensively to make up for his flaws.

No heat but Belak was a defenseman by trade but played wing most of his Leafs tenure.
Tons of heart and toughness but you are correct, not a good D for sure.

 

[Leafs87]

Aside from short lived one-offs and hot streaks, overall the leafs defence and goaltending has been awful for the last 25 years.

 

[Teeder Keon]

You sir are correct! It was Larry who patrolled the Leafs blueline in the glory years, and yes the 12 game 67 playoff run was unreal and set some kind of record that may still stand. I thank you for bringing that to my attention! The Leafs had a pretty talented bunch of guys on a very deep blueline, Horton being the best of them of course. Once Hillman left Toronto with the exception of Montreal, he was always one of the better Dmen of a not very good crew on an expansion team

That said, however Hillman was in Punchs' doghouse for most of the 60s. He was, in fact, in that doghouse far more frequently than Eddie Shack ever was, and as we know the Entertainer spent a lot of time there. The only permanent seat belonged to Carl Brewer, who might be a top 10 Leafs Dman all time, Carl had so much talent.

Hillman was only twice in the Leafs opening day lineup and both times sooner or later ended up either in Rochester or Springfield, but I digress. Most often Hillman started the season in the minors, but did play a good number of games as a first call-up type of guy

The only other dman who drew Imlachs ire for bone headed mistakes in his own end was Kent Douglas, a smallish guy who had a penchant for puck watching and chasing guys around the net. And in fact may deserve a spot on that list more than Larry Hillman does, Hillman at least had some offensive flair and was a pretty rough customer.

Excellent commentary !

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Soft Brothers for me:

JML
Barrie (never won a single puck battle his entire time as a leaf)
Gardiner
Klingberg

I know Gardiner had his moments, but he was so sleepy when the puck was turned over on the power play. He rolled out a red carpet for the other team's penalty killers.

Lebda
Finger

I think the single worst thing I saw in a Leaf uniform were the 2 random games Phil Housley played at the end of his career in 2003. Small, slow, old, clueless.

View attachment 765133

I remember him. It was so hard to believe his failing ability was attached to his name.

 

[Team First]

Not the worst. Fond memories actually. Plucked from his Orillia milk route and Senior hockey. Claire "The Milkman" Alexander. Just to create Leaf historical interest....

 

[Lightsol]

Yeah, sorry, but if you think Klingburg is the worst D-man the Leafs have ever had, you either haven't been watching long or your memory of this team is shot...

No heat but Belak was a defenseman by trade but played wing most of his Leafs tenure.
Tons of heart and toughness but you are correct, not a good D for sure.

The issue with Belak... Not only was he a better winger than a D-man and that experiment should have been over FAST, but the Leafs compounded it by pairing him with Aki Berg, who was ALSO a terrible D-man...