[Speculation] Antti Raanta Indicates He Won’t Play In The NHL Anymore

[RWJC]

Antti Raanta Indicates He Won’t Play In The NHL Anymore

 

September 14th, 2024 at 10:38am CST • By Brian La Rose

 

One of the remaining veteran free agent goaltenders is Antti Raanta but don’t expect his name to be added to the list of players accepting PTOs.  The veteran told Ilta-Sanomat’s Sami Hoffren that he has decided that his playing days in North America have come to an end.

 

The 35-year-old indicated that he did have some interest from NHL teams in free agency, including Toronto.  Meanwhile, Vancouver reached out with a PTO offer a few weeks ago as they look for veteran insurance with the uncertainty surrounding Thatcher Demko’s situation.  However, Raanta indicated that those teams were viewing him more as an insurance option and that there was a possibility that he would have had to start in the AHL.

 

Last season, Raanta was back with Carolina after a strong 2022-23 showing that saw him post a 2.23 GAA and a .910 SV% in 27 games.  Unfortunately for him and the Hurricanes, he struggled mightily last year, putting up a 2.99 GAA with a save percentage of just .872 and eventually, Carolina had to run him through waivers multiple times, sending him down to AHL Chicago after he cleared.  He didn’t see much playing time with the Wolves but didn’t fare any better than he did with Carolina.  Accordingly, the type of offer he was hoping for from an NHL team was unlikely to materialize.

 

Raanta’s NHL playing days end with 277 career appearances at the top level with four different organizations.  He posted a 139-80-29 record while putting up a 2.48 GAA, a .915 SV%, and 20 shutouts.  Overall, it was a solid career for someone who went undrafted and didn’t make his NHL debut until his age-24 campaign.

But while it’s the end of the road for Raanta in North America, it’s not necessarily the end of his playing days.  Raanta indicated to Hoffren that he’s looking to land a spot in Switzerland, Czechia, or Germany. 

 

While he had offers from there in the spring, he turned them down at the time, hoping for an NHL offer to his liking to come around.  At this point, with international leagues either underway already or about to start, Raanta will be biding his time for the time being with the hopes of getting a call in the near future.

 

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/09/antti-raanta-indicates-he-wont-play-in-the-nhl-anymore.html#ref=home

[Canuck You]

Drive his ass to the airport.

[Bob Long]

4 minutes ago, Canuck You said:

Drive his ass to the airport.

 

Not going to blame him too much, Switzerland over Abby isn't a hard choice for a euro kid.

 

 

[King Heffy]

2 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

Not going to blame him too much, Switzerland over Abby isn't a hard choice for a euro kid.

 

 

Better pay and closer to home, with way shorter road trips.  Can't say I wouldn't make the same decision.

[Canuck You]

4 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

Not going to blame him too much, Switzerland over Abby isn't a hard choice for a euro kid.

 

 

Close to home is where the heart is..

[gwarrior]

Guess that option is out the door. So now what? Keep chasing Lankinen or offer a PTO to Jones?

[Coconuts]

Fair, who tf would wanna play in the AHL when you can go hang out in Europe 

[Ghostsof1915]

30 minutes ago, Coconuts said:

Fair, who tf would wanna play in the AHL when you can go hang out in Europe 

More money too. 

[Roger Neilsons Towel]

3 hours ago, Canuck You said:

Drive his ass to the airport.

Does this mean that you’re Antti-Raanta?

[Grandmaster]

4 minutes ago, Roger Neilsons Towel said:

Does this mean that you’re Antti-Raanta?

[Canuck You]

17 minutes ago, Roger Neilsons Towel said:

Does this mean that you’re Antti-Raanta?

Edited Saturday at 07:43 PM by Canuck You

[Pears]

50 minutes ago, Roger Neilsons Towel said:

Does this mean that you’re Antti-Raanta?

[PureQuickness]

He's an adult making adult decisions. And quite honestly, he's had an excellent career that he can look proudly on. He's still a good goalie and there's no sense in him looking like an insurance goalie when he's good enough to play.

 

Hope he does well wherever he plays.

[Gawdzukes]

25 minutes ago, PureQuickness said:

He's an adult making adult decisions. And quite honestly, he's had an excellent career that he can look proudly on. He's still a good goalie and there's no sense in him looking like an insurance goalie when he's good enough to play.

 

Hope he does well wherever he plays.

 

Yup. Injuries caught up with him. I wish him the best.

[Jayinblack]

4 hours ago, gwarrior said:

Guess that option is out the door. So now what? Keep chasing Lankinen or offer a PTO to Jones?

Lankinen or wait for a waiver drop like Husso

[gwarrior]

3 hours ago, Jayinblack said:

Lankinen or wait for a waiver drop like Husso

Sounds like a plan.

[RWJC]

Nux have offered Lankinen a 1 year deal @1mill but he’s rejected saying it’s too low. They’ve moved past the PTO and he’s still not interested.  The fact they offered him a formal contract might be a sign that confidence in Demko’s recovery is still shaky.

I imagine  mgmt tries their best to pull off a Poolman deal within this next week and maybe picks up a depth G in the process or works their way though camp watching the waiver wire intently. Imho, they need to have another NHL quality/veteran G in camp simply to raise the overall standard of quality prep.