The Arizona Coyotes announced today that goaltender Antti Raanta is out indefinitely as a result of further investigations into his upper body injury. Raanta may miss the rest of the season.
Coyotes GM John Chayka confirms there’s a chance that the team won’t see Antti Raanta for the remainder of the season.
— Catherine Silverman (@catmsilverman) December 10, 2018
Antti Raanta Injury Becomes More Serious
Raanta has not suited up since November when he received the injury against the Minnesota Wild. It’s unclear how this injury occurred but may have been a part of an ongoing issue.
Because of this, the top Coyotes goaltender has only played 12 games this season. Achieving a .906 save percentage and 2.88 goals-against average in these games. Showing to be a capable back-up, great things were expected from the Finnish native as he made the step up. However has been plagued with injuries since.
Over his six-year NHL career, Raanta showed potential when playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and under Henrik Lundqvist at the New York Rangers. He achieved a .920SV% and 2.34 GAA in 153 career games. And originally joined the Blackhawks undrafted in 2013.
When questioned regarding Raanta injury, General Managed John Chayka stated “The good news is that it was a great repair and his long-term health is in great standing,” Chayka continued to say “The recovery will be a little longer than we had hoped or expected, but at the same time, again, he has the ability to preserve his long-term health. That’s the main thing, and we’ve been able to do that.”
What This Means for the Future
This news enhanced Arizona’s Goaltender woes, as backup goalie Darcy Kuemper continues to be injured also. Rookie Adin Hill will remain to start with Calvin Pickard serving as his backup.
Although the Coyotes aimed to turn heads this year, they are currently second bottom in the Pacific Division with a 13-13-2 record. However, there is still time to make an impact, but Raanta’s prolonged injury does put added pressure on the rookie goaltender.
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