The Toronto Maple Leafs ice-time leader fluctuates from game to game. The team has a clear-cut best forward and best defenseman, but they don’t seem to ice their lineup to reflect that. The team’s terrible post-October play shows pretty conclusively that this doesn’t work.
Sure, Auston Matthews gets the most ice time per game (F) at 18:37 per, but he doesn’t play as much as other top centres, because the Leafs balance their lines more than other teams do.
The Leafs have four defenseman, Zaitsev, Gardiner, Rielly and Hainsey, who each play about 22 minutes per game.