Who was the last real Maple Leaf superstar? Will Kessel be the next? Kadri? If not, who?

Just the other day I was thinking about the Leafs, past and present, and started going through in my mind:  who is the last Leaf player that really made me feel like we had a bona fide superstar talent in our line-up?

As many of you know, I started following the Leafs back in the late 1950s.  Most of the '50s were a somewhat bleak time for the blue and white, certainly so after their Cup in 1951 (the year of the famous Barilko OT winner against Montreal...).  While there were many fine players to perform for the Leafs (the legendary "Teeder" Kennedy was at the end of the line by the mid-'50s...), by the time I was really into following the Leafs, they were more a franchise in transition.  Then new GM, Punch Imlach, was trying too build a formidable team, mixing some outstanding young talent with solid veterans like Allan Stanley and Bert Olmstead, who came over from other teams.

But in terms of "superstars", I'm not sure we had any until the early '60s.  That “guy” was probably Frank Mahovlich (right).  He was big, fast, had a sizzling shot and could make those long, swooping, rink-long rushes.  The "Big M", as he was called, almost became a Blackhawk in an infamous one million dollar "sale"- the kind of thing that happens in professional soccer routinely these days (for much bigger dollars, of course), but back then, was a remarkable sum in sport, especially hockey.  He helped the Leafs win those four Cups in the '60s.  But Imlach traded Mahovlich before the end of the 1967-'68 season, ending an often tumultuous time for the supremely talented left-winger, who eventually went on to win two more Cups with the Habs.

In the ‘70s, I would say that while the Leaf had some talented guys, for sure, two players that could make you stand up and cheer for their pure individual brilliance were Darryl Sittler and Borje Salming.  Sittler was a power forward, though we usually think of those guys as wingers.  His 10 points in one game is still an NHL record, as Leaf fans well know.

Salming (left) was the smart, elegant, twisting, turning defensemen who was not the best guy in the world in front of his own net (he blocked a ton of shots, but was not the greatest at being physical in front of his goalie), but gave his heart and body to the team for many years and was probably our best all-around player most of the years he was here.

In the ‘80s, again, the team in its various incarnations had quite a number of talented guys.  Salming was still around.  But I’m thinking the one player who really made fans' hearts jump was Wendel Clark.  Toronto fans love guys (doesn't everyone?) who work hard and finish their checks.  Clark did that in spades.  And it didn't hurt that he had that outstanding wrist shot and would fight anyone to get the team going or protect his teammates.

In the early ‘90s, it was probably Doug Gilmour, though he was never really considered a “superstar” (despite being perhaps the best all-around player in the game in 1993 and 1994).  Later, we had Mats Sundin and he was a remarkable performer, though he left a lot of fans wanting more, much like Mahovlich more than 30 years before.

But right now, do the Leafs have a guy who makes you jump up and down?  Is it Kessel (right)?  The guy has elite-level skill and can score goals in bunches.  With some new talent to surround him for a full season (Lupul, Connolly?), is he capable of 40 goals- or more?  And will he step up and become a fine all-around player who can be a true difference-maker when it matters?

If not Kessel, will it be the even younger Nazem Kadri?

I’m not sure a team has to have a breathtaking Gilbert Perreault/Alex Ovechkin kind of player to be successful.  But the Leafs have a history of exciting, legendary players.  Yet in recent years, I’m not sure we’ve had that kind of player.

Do we have one now?  Is one emerging?

I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts.