Former Arizona Coyotes backup goalie Antti Raanta has signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on a one-year deal. It is a two-year deal worth $4 million. It carries a salary-cap hit of $2 million a season.
It will be 2 x $2M AAV for Antti Raanta in Carolina
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 28, 2021
Antti Raanta Signs With Carolina
Raanta has had decent statistics with an 11-5 record recording a 3.36 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in 12 games this season. In 195 games played and a 92-63-20 career record. His .919 save percentage shows he can be effective when he plays. He also has a career of 2.46 goals-against average.
As Raanta’s absences increased it also decreased his trade value. Even as a backup, when he can’t be relied upon to come in when the starter is out making his value decrease significantly. If he can stay healthy, he will be a good backup for his new team.
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What This Means Going Forward
Antti Raanta can certainly become a starter, but for now, is an effective backup. He has shown that he can help his team win close games and once he overcomes his injury misfortunes, he will be fine. The issue with him missing games became a concern when Darcy Kuemper went down with an injury last season. Raanta was the backup but fell to injury himself. That caused plenty of frustration for the Coyotes who were attempting to get into the playoffs.
Raanta will turn 32-years-old in May and his time may be running low to perform. If his continuous injuries persist, he may find himself in a situation where his new team may run short of patience. Even though as a backup you are expected to be ready, if you are injured you can’t possibly contribute to the team’s success.
While the Hurricanes may know all of his injury history, they also know Raanta can be a quality netminder. Perhaps he will find a conditioning expert to assist him in staying healthy. Because one thing is certain, when Antti Raanta is healthy he can compete with the best of them. They have a solid tandem in Frederik Andersen and Raanta.
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