Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 3 most foolish trades they ever made

2. Leafs Gift Bruins A Franchise Goalie

Yeah, the Toronto Maple Leafs really don’t have a good history when it comes to trading goalies. Though Tuukka Rask isn’t a Hall of Famer (yet), this one stings even more than the Parent trade because this one was completely unnecessary. At least Parent demanded a trade. Rask didn’t.

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The Leafs drafted Rask back in 2005, making him the 21st overall selection in the first round. Rask had a great first post-draft season, posting a .926% save percentage in 30 games in Liiga, which is Finland’s top professional league.

However, in the summer of 2006, the Leafs decided to trade Rask to the Boston Bruins for Andrew Raycroft. Why? Because they felt Justin Pogge was their goalie of the future. Pogge only played in seven NHL games, so the Leafs were quite clearly wrong.

Another reason this trade was horrible is because the Bruins were reportedly going to release Raycroft anyway. So the Leafs could have gotten him for free without giving up a top goaltending prospect. Plus, according to Steve Simmons, the Bruins actually preferred Pogge.

Rask has haunted the Toronto Maple Leafs since the trade. He has stopped them numerous times in the postseason. Against the Leafs during the regular season, Rask has a 19-7-2 record with a .926% save percentage.