What if the Leafs never traded Tuukka Rask?

[Cory Kennedy]

In the 2005 NHL Entry Draft the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted an 18 year old Tuukka Rask. At the time, due to the NHL Lockout the Leafs have missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1997-98 season. Ed Belfour was 40 years of age and nearing retirement so Leafs GM at the time John Ferguson. JR knew that the Maple Leafs would need a backbone that can carry their team to success for many years to come, so on July 30th 2005, he pulled the trigger on 18 year old Tuukka Rask! At the time, Rask was looking like an absolute stud putting up amazing save percentages for his Ilves tampere team in Finland and was the Goalie the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to replace an aging Ed Belfour. With all that hype and build up surrounding Tuukka Rask, it would seem that he would definitely be a future NHL Star and the Leafs wouldn't even think about trading him, right? Wrong! On June 24th, 2006 the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Rask to the Boston Bruins for a 26 year old Calder Winning Goaltender in Andrew Raycroft. At the time, this trade seemed fair since Rask was still yet to enter the Main Roster and Andrew Raycroft was coming off a Calder winning season and was looking like a future star backbone. Unfortunately, that was the complete opposite. Tuukka Rask went on to be a Superstar Goaltender for the Boston Bruins putting up Stud Stats every year, willing a Vezina in 2013-14, a Jennings in 2019-20 and a Stanley Cup in 2011 while Andrew Raycroft only played 2 short seasons with the Leafs before being Sent off to Colorado. Obviously, this was one of the worst trades in the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history and I don't know what was going through John Ferguson JRs head when he thought of making this trade. So what do you guys personally think? What would have happened if this were an Alternate Reality and John Ferguson JR never traded Tuukka Rask. What would the next 14 years look like for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Leave your replies down below.

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[TMLisSRYinGerman]

Who cares what if? You never know and on top of that - his topic was discussed way too often already. Let our maybe 'mistakes' from our history behind us it doesn't help to care about it any longer.

Just my opinion tough.

 

[paulhiggins]

I don't mind they traded him. I think he would have been the country club manager here. I do mind that they traded him for crap.

 

[Mickey Marner]

They'd have found another way to f*** up.

 

[BertCorbeau]

I like to think that the Toronto market would have been too tough on Tuuka (who is a hot-head) and he'd end up flaming out here and getting traded within a few years of making the club before solidifying a career elsewhere.

 

[justashadowof]

No Matthews, no Marner, no Rielly, no Nylander.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

I imagine Pogge would have worked out better too having some competition with the Marlies.

A pipeline starting with Rask/Pogge/Reimer should have set us up for years of decent goaltending.

 

[Schenn]

I like to think that the Toronto market would have been too tough on Tuuka (who is a hot-head) and he'd end up flaming out here and getting traded within a few years of making the club before solidifying a career elsewhere.

Agreed. I also believe Seguin would have had a similar outcome here as he did in Boston with our management at the time. Hell, how long did it take Dougie Hamilton to really be a top pair dman? The 18-19 season? Yeah, no way our media wouldn't have run him out of town before then had he been drafted by the Leafs as well considering his alleged "quirkiness".

 

[Suntouchable13]

I think he'd probably not be that much better than Reimer. The environment in which a young goalie is brought up in matters. JMO.

 

[Buds17]

I'd like to believe that the search for a starting goalie would have been significantly shorter. Best case scenario is that he'd still be here in that role.

Just one of those trades that didn't pan out at all for the team. Raycroft didn't last all that long as a Leaf, even as a stopgap. The prospect traded away is still holding down a starting spot there. The prospect retained was an NHLer for a cup of coffee.

 

[willmma]

Then John Ferguson Jr. who is the current executive director of player personnel for the Boston Bruins, would never have bragged to be the one who got Rask to Boston.

 

[realgoodleafs]

I like to think that the Toronto market would have been too tough on Tuuka (who is a hot-head) and he'd end up flaming out here and getting traded within a few years of making the club before solidifying a career elsewhere.

Tucker and Domi were hot heads. I'd love for somebody on this team to actually get angry after a loss and flip out.

 

[Bomber0104]

Morale of the story is never trade with the Bruins.

We lose every time.

 

[pucksakes666]

He would have wanted a trade out of town, there were no decent D core or much else. Rask still didn’t become a full time starter till after the cup run in 2011.

 

[Bluelines]

If they never traded Tukka, he would have never won the cup, he would have probably been a journeyman goalie. the Leafs back then had a masterful way of messing up their prospect development.

 

[Doublerum1975]

Leaf fans need to stop what if Tukka has never led his team to a cup thank Tim Thomas for that

 

[Cynical]

They may in worse position than they are in now.

Maybe he suffers a career ending injury or never becomes what he is today.

 

[nuck]

It seems more likely they would never have backed off being a playoff club or bust which means still traded picks and middling prospect pools. Maybe a playoff birth or two. Tuuka didn't really emerge until 2009 when Sundin was already gone so he likely wouldn't have prevented Burke. Bandaid years looking for a #1 center and building a tough team when tough was in the process of being phased out. He would have been a waste for most of his career as the Leafs tried to win with Kessel and Bozak until Burke gets inevitably fired and Shanny or a new knight in shining armor comes in and we move to the current model. The more I think about it, things were very unlikely to change. The talent just wasn't there between 2009 and 2015 and the marching orders were to battle for 16th rather than ever let nature take its course.

A more interesting scenario is, what if Kessel resigns with the Bs like a good boy? The Leafs sink but maybe get Seguin and Hamilton for themselves and so have their #1c and future #1 D. Although I get the feeling Burke goes for Oleksiak over the peaceful Dougie. Not sure who he would take with the Knight pick, maybe just Brad Ross earlier

 

[diehardleafsfan9878]

Honestly it wouldn't have made a difference, the quality of the players that would have been in front of Rask were not good enough to do any damage anyways.

 

[diehardleafsfan9878]

It seems more likely they would never have backed off being a playoff club or bust which means still traded picks and middling prospect pools. Maybe a playoff birth or two. Tuuka didn't really emerge until 2009 when Sundin was already gone so he likely wouldn't have prevented Burke. Bandaid years looking for a #1 center and building a tough team when tough was in the process of being phased out. He would have been a waste for most of his career as the Leafs tried to win with Kessel and Bozak until Burke gets inevitably fired and Shanny or a new knight in shining armor comes in and we move to the current model. The more I think about it, things were very unlikely to change. The talent just wasn't there between 2009 and 2015 and the marching orders were to battle for 16th rather than ever let nature take its course.

A more interesting scenario is, what if Kessel resigns with the Bs like a good boy? The Leafs sink but maybe get Seguin and Hamilton for themselves and so have their #1c and future #1 D. Although I get the feeling Burke goes for Oleksiak over the peaceful Dougie. Not sure who he would take with the Knight pick, maybe just Brad Ross earlier

Oleksiak has been Dallas #1 D in terms of TOI for Dallas in the playoffs this year. Just throwing that out there. - Edit nevermind, he's 4th, but on the 2 or 3 games I looked at against Colorado he played the most.

 

[Stephen]

Everything else playing out the same way having Rask and Schenn at the start of the Burke era could have pointed Toronto in a more defensive, build from the net out approach.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

He would have made those crummy Leaf teams better than they were and he’d still be a Leaf today. Trading him in one of the worst deals of all-time was an absolute waste of a top talent and desperately needed #1 goalie all those years.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

A butterfly would have flapped its wings and there would have been a pandemic in 2018 or 2022 instead of 2020.

Elsewhere, a dead horse arises from its grave, its shattered bones a testament to the severe beating that sealed its fate.

 

[CelticDruid]

Leaf fans would still be trying to trade his ass every season, just someone else to hate on.

 

[SoftDumpNtheCorner88]

We wouldn't have any raycroft jokes.