On my last forum post, I told the story of Tuukka Rask and how the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted the superstar goaltender but then traded him in a complete robbery to the Bruins for calder winning goaltender Andrew Raycroft who was a one season wonder that would only play 2 short seasons with the Bruins before being traded to Colorado. John Ferguson JR made one of the worst decisions in Franchise History which is why we are gonna hop in the time machine and travel all the way back to 2006. We are gonna create an Alternate Universe And we are gonna see what would happen if John Ferguson JR never traded Tuukka Rask to the Boston Bruins. Note, this is gonna be a long thread so only read if your really bored lets go!
2006-07: To be realistic, like real life, Tuukka Rask still decides to play 1 final season with the Ilves Tampere in LIIGA before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs AHL Affiliate the Toronto Marlies.
2007-08: Tuukka Rask joins the Toronto Marlies and is ready to suit up and be the starting netminder for the Marlies. In real life this team did pretty good ammasing 50 wins and going all the way to the conference finals. In this timeline, Tuukka Rask and the Marlies finish with a 53-19-3 record and unlike real life, they finish the Job and capture the Calder Cup! Tuukka Rask played 42 games won 30 and had a .913%.
2008-09: After his outstanding performance in the AHL, John Ferguson JR calls up Tuukka Rask to join the Pro Roster and replace a struggling Vesa Toskala as the starting goalie. The leafs, end up putting up 89 pts a 38-34-10 record, and they finish 4th in the Northeast division. Tuukka played 48 games, won 29 and had a .905%, not bad for a rookie goalie.
2009-10: In Tuukkas sophomore season with the Leafs, Toronto managed to acquire a hot headed american goal scorer in Phil Kessel, new faces in Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak, a leader Defensemen in Dion Phaneuf and much more. Things are looking good for Leafs Nation. This season the Leafs Managed to finish 10th in the Eastern conference with 85 pts, Tuukka played 45 games, won 32 and put up a .918%, Tuukka Rask is showing improvement at 23 years of age.
2010-11: Going into the 2010-11 season, the Toronto Media is heavily on this leafs team as they still can't seem to make the Playoffs even with all the assets they acquired and moves they made over the off-season, and to add more fire onto the pit, those 1st and 2nd round picks Brian Burke traded to the Bruins ended up being Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton, so the pressure is on this team. James Reimer has been called up to the Leafs to back up Tuukka Rask. This season the Leafs manage to put up 95 pts and a 42-29-11 record, beating out the New York Rangers to secure their first playoff Birth since 2004! In the first round the Leafs are taking on the back to back presidents trophy winning Washington Capitals and end up losing in 5 games, this is realistic since at this time the Leafs are a very young and inexperienced playoff team and still have alot to learn. But after all of that, hope has been restored in Toronto! And as for Tuukka
2011-12: In the 2011-12 Season, the Leafs are coming off their first playoff birth in 7 years and fans are heavily behind this team, this season they end up finishing with 86 pts and 10th in the Eastern Conference, they may have missed the playoffs but yet again they are still a young team and have a bright future ahead of them. Tuukka Rask played 44 games and finished with a .910%.
2012-13: This year, the NHLPA failed to reach a bargaining agreement and Team Owners and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman agreed to go into Lockout. Despite all teams playing only 48 games, they still managed to make the Playoffs happen. Tuukka Rask manage to play the best season of his career and the Leafs managed to finish with a 30-14-5 record and amassed 65 pts winning the Atlantic Division for the first time in ages! In the first round, they take on their provincial rivals the Ottawa Senators and we see the battle of Ontario in the first round since 2004! The leafs managed to win the Series in 5 games then Upset the Conference Winning Pittsburgh Penguins in 6 games and then we see a Toronto vs Boston Eastern Conference Final! And unlike real life, the Leafs managed to overtake the Bruins in 7 games and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 46 years! Tuukka has just entered the prime of his career. For the first time in ages, all of Canada has rallied behind this team and Beleafers have started to Beleaf again! But just like real life, the Blackhawks managed to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in 6 games to capture the Stanley Cup. I think this was fair since Toews and Kane were on fire at this point in time and I don't think they would lose to a young team thats only in their 2nd appearence in 9 years. All though it wasn't quite the Fairy tale ending, this was still a Playoff run Leaf Fans have dreamed about for a long time Beleafers have finally started to Beleaf again, well see what the 2013-14 season brings.
2013-14: We are now entering the 2013-14 season and unfourtntly, since the leafs finished with 86 pts in 2012, they don't end up getting the 5th overall pick which means they don't draft Morgan Rielly. However the Leafs are coming off a Stanley Cup Final playoff run and fans are excited for what the 2013-14 season has in store. Keep in mind that this was the season that Wild Card seeding first plays into effect. Tuukka Rask ends up playing the best season of his career as the Leafs end up finishing 2nd in the Atlantic Division with 105 pts. They up defeating the Tampa Bay Lighting in 7 games in the first round but end up losing to the Presidents Trophy winning Tim Thomas and the Boston Bruins in the 2nd round. Not as good of a playoff run as last season but in Hockey, things like this take time and Rask ends up winning the Vezina Trophy. Tuukka Rask signs a 8 year deal with the team.
2014-15: In real life, this was the Season that Phil Kessel got traded but that had to do with obvious reasons for the leafs poor play and media breathing down his neck so in this timeline none of that happens and the Leafs keep Kessel Abroad. In 2014-15, players like Kadri Bozak and Van Riemsdyk are starting to develop and this team is looking hot. The leafs with their Extra Cap Space sign one of their Forwards Leo Komarov to a 4 million dollar deal. This core is looking hot! However, tough luck for Toronto this season they managed to play ridiculous and end up finishing with 94 pts missing the Playoffs. Randy Carlyle ends up getting fired and like real life, the Leafs hire Mike Babcock as their new Head Coach! Lets see what next season has to offer. Phil Kessel signs a 8 year deal with the Leafs.
2015-16: This season, This season the Toronto Maple Leafs unlike in real life finishing Dead Last, Managed to finish with 95 pts and advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Hiring a New Coach and making a few roster changes payed off as the leafs finish 3rd in the atlantic and are headed to the playoffs! But unfourtantly once again, they managed to fall short in 7 games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
2016-17: Since the Leafs were better the last 2 years, William Nylander Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews don't get drafted. So hey, maybe the Leafs trading Tuukka was a good idea after all! But anyway the Leafs are coming off another playoff collapse the Leafs are left with Barely Any money in Cap so some Important Players need to go, Dion Phaneuf gets Traded to the Edmonton oilers for Young Forward Leon Draisaitl! On paper this trade looked good for Edmonton as Toronto was getting a future Offensive threat who was in his 2nd year on his Entry level deal and Dion Phaneuf had been a Shut Down Defensive player for the leafs and Edmonton needed Defense, little did the Oilers know, this trade would haunt them in the future. This season Tuukka Rask played like Tuukka Rask putting up Tuukka Rask numbers and the Draisaitl amassed 35 goals to help the leafs finish with 50 wins and 107 pts to win the Atlantic Division! This trade was a Robbery for Toronto as it wouldn't turn out well for Edmonton. Toronto ended up knocking out the New York Ranger in the 1st round then went on to play the Montreal Canadiens in the Conference Semi Finals, they won the series in 7 games as Montreal gave it their all and the Leafs were back in the Conference Finals! Against the Pittsburgh Penguins! They ended up defeating Crosby and the Penguins in 6 games and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in years! And for the first time in 50 years, Toronto Finally Managed to it! They beat the Nashville Predators in 6 games to win the Stanley Cup! Phil Kessel won the Conn Smyth and clearly that Draisaitl trade immediatly backfired for the Edmonton Oilers.
2017-18: As the leafs are coming off their first Stanley Cup in 50 years, they had alot new prospects and they were ready to get back into play in the 2017-18 season, They finished with 110 pts and took on the Boston Bruins in the first round, They ended up winning that series in 5 games but would fall to a strong Tampa Bay Lightning team in 7 once again.
2018-19: The Leafs are coming off a 2nd round defeat to the Tampa Bay Lighting and ended up resigning JVR and Tyler Bozak in the Off-season. Like real life they end up finishing 3rd in the Atlantic but this time fall to the Boston Bruins in the first round. I guess this is the stage where the Leafs enter a rebuild.
2019-20: And the final season of this Alternate time line, this season the Coronavirus hit the NHL hard and hockey was held off until August, Ilya Mikhaiyev has just joined the team and the leafs are looking to get right back into it. They finish 2nd in the Atlantic Division and defeat The Tampa Bay Lightning in round 1, they end up playing the Bruins in the 2nd round and they win that rematch in 7 games, then they fall to a strong Islanders team in the Conference finals.
If you have read this all the way through you are a legend, this forum took plenty of research, and about 2-3 to write. This is definitly one of the longest forums on HFBoards most likely and if you read all the way through thank you, Im exhausted and once again this forum took so long to write. Anyway if you wanna see more "What Ifs" Show some Support Thank you.