Maple Leafs Traded Future Star Goalie Before He Played a Single Game

Maple Leafs Traded Future Star Goalie Before He Played a Single Game

When the Toronto Maple Leafs took Tuukka Rask 21st overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, they were banking on a long-term solution in net. He was raw, sure, but the tools were all there: the reflexes, the technical foundation, the poise beyond his years. And then, just a year later, the Leafs pulled the plug-shipping Rask’s rights to Boston in a one-for-one deal for Andrew Raycroft. Nearly two decades later, “regret” doesn’t quite cover it. Let’s rewin…