Award-winning Maple Leafs?

When it comes to winning individual league awards, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been in a prolonged dry spell.

Ex-Leaf Jason Blake was honored with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2008 after returning from cancer, and Doug Gilmour was named the NHL's best defensive forward way back in 1993.

But the Leafs have not had a player lead the NHL in scoring since 1937-38, when Gordie Drillon edged out teammate Syl Apps for the scoring title with 26 goals and 52 points in 48 games. (Apps finished with 50 points.) And the Leafs haven't had a Hart Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the league since Ted Kennedy won it in 1954-55. Babe Pratt is the only other Leaf to win the Hart, and that was in 1943-44. Mats Sundin was a great player for the Leafs, but he failed to win a major award, and that could hurt his cause when he becomes eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

So let's assume, for just a moment, that what we have seen from the likes of Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul and Dion Phaneuf is what we will continue to see from them for the remainder of the year.

Kessel, 24, leads the NHL in goals (16) and points (30), while Lupul, 28, has emerged as one of the best and most productive two-way performers in the NHL. Lupul is third in NHL scoring with 11 goals and 27 points. Phaneuf, meanwhile, is tied for second amongst defenceman in scoring. The 26-year-old has three goals and 18 points and is riding a four-game point streak, during which time he has scored once and has five assists.

Kessel has enjoyed hot streaks in the past, but nothing like the one he has been on since the 2011-12 season started. Kessel's ability to maintain his hot hand is a big reason why the Leafs are tied for second in the Eastern Conference with a 13-8-2 record, despite the team's injury woes.

Last season Kessel shot out of the gate with seven goals and nine points in Toronto's first nine games, but then he went cold with no points in his next seven. Kessel ran into another seven-game goalless drought, followed by one that stretched on for 14 games. Although he finished the season with 32 goals and 64 points, his streakiness and minus-20 ranking made it clear that Kessel had work to do in order to reach star status.

This season there has been a consistency in Kessel's game that suggests he has indeed taken his game to the next level. And if he continues to play as he has through Toronto's first 23 games, he would surely be in line for Hart Trophy consideration, not to mention the Art Ross Trophy, awarded annually to the league's leading scorer. Kessel has been held pointless in just five games this season. Based on his play so far, Lupul might well be in the running for both awards, too.

Only five Leafs have ever led the NHL in scoring - Drillon, Charlie Conacher (twice), Busher Jackson, Ace Bailey and Babe Dye (twice).

Phaneuf is an interesting case. It has been assumed he would one day win the Norris Trophy since he broke into the NHL with the Calgary Flames in 2005-06 scoring 20 goals and 49 points. Phaneuf's booming point shot mystified goalies as he piled up 54 goals in his first three seasons. In his third season, Phaneuf scored 17 goals and a career-best 60 points and was named the runner-up for the Norris behind Detroit Red Wing Nicklas Lidstrom. Since then, however, his production has declined and he was traded to the Maple Leafs in 2009-10.

This season, his first as captain of the Leafs, Phaneuf has emerged as a leader. If he was able to continue scoring at his current pace, Phaneuf would finish the year with 14 goals and 64 points - numbers that would make him a logical candidate for the Norris. If the Leafs make the playoffs for the first time in seven years, that would further Phaneuf's case.

Another potential candidate for hardware is defensive forward David Steckel. Obtained early in the season from the New Jersey Devils ostensibly for his ability to win faceoffs, Steckel has proven to be a good all-around player. He led the NHL in faceoff winning percentage last season, and through 23 games was winning draws at an impressive 59.4% success rate. Steckel has chipped in four goals and is second on the team in hits with 46. (Luke Schenn leads in that department with 62.) To be seriously considered for the Selke Trophy, Steckel needs to work on his plus-minus. He currently stands minus-3.

All in all, it has been a good start for the Leafs as a team and an impressive start for a few individuals. Not bad for an organization that rarely challenges for individual honors.

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.