Tuukka Rask: all-time great Maple Leafs draft pick
Share
Well, if you think about this it makes a lot of sense. At first, it might not, but it really is a big accomplishment and a rip on a different NHL team, so it is absolutely worth discussing.
So the Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask, one could argue, is the most successful goaltender from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
According to SB Nation, Rask has the most career wins of any NHL goaltender who was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs (267). Here's the catch, however, he never actually played in a game for the team. Remember, the Bruins traded Andrew Raycroft for Rask straight up. What a steal that turned out to be.
Don't get me wrong, Raycroft is a legend in his own right (he had one good season with the Bruins, so that qualifies as a legend in my book). But look at how well this deal has worked out for the Bruins. Rask is still in the league and showing no signs of slowing down. The Bruins weren't going to contend with Raycroft. He didn't end up having some superstar career. He ended up playing in fewer than 100 games for the Maple Leafs (to give you an idea of how productive his tenure with the team was there).
But yeah, Rask is basically going to shatter that record amongst Maple Leafs draftees that he recently set. He's had a more fruitful Bruins tenure than, dare I say, Tim Thomas minus the whole winning the Stanley Cup thing...
That's a big part of it and a lot of people are going to argue about it but hey, the Bruins were one game away from winning the cup last year, so they are in a position to contend this year. We'll see what ends up happening at the end of the year.