Boston Bruins: Top 30 Draft Picks of All Time

29. Andrew Raycroft – 1998 – 135th Overall

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins selected goaltender Andrew Raycroft with the 135th overall draft pick in the 1998 draft. While his name may seem confusing on a list of “top draft picks in franchise history” it’s important to note that his importance stretched beyond his play in net for Boston. If the Bruins hadn’t acquired Raycroft, then it’s highly unlikely that the Boston Bruins would have gotten Tuukka Rask.

Raycroft had a few good seasons in Boston, and that made him tempting trade bait for the Toronto Maple Leafs (We can discuss the Maple Leafs desire to trade us quality players for magic beans later.) Tuukka Rask went on to become the starting goaltender for the Bruins, and Raycroft went on to a less than distinguished career in Toronto, Colorado, Vancouver, and Dallas.

(Contributed by Andrew Thompson of Causeway Crowd)

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