Antti Raanta, a senior goaltender who is 34 years old, was placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, which was a significant development for the National Hockey League team.
An insider named Elliotte Friedman posted an update regarding Antti Raanta’s waiver status on X (which was formerly known as Twitter).
A total of six contracts with a combined value of $23,150,000 have been signed by the goaltender, who is 34 years old. The first day of free agency, July 1, 2023, was the day that Raanta made his commitment to remain with Carolina. He signed a one-year contract worth $1.5 million, choosing for a pay reduction of $500,000, and committing to another year with Carolina.
Having played in 267 games during the regular season and 24 games during the playoffs, Raanta is well on his way to become a UFA when he reaches the age of 35 at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
Although Antti Raanta had a solid performance in the previous season, with a 2.23 goals-against average and a.910 save percentage in 27 games, his form has significantly deteriorated this season, with a tough 3.61 goals-against average and a.854 save percentage in 14 games.
His recent game against Nashville, which took place on Friday, appears to be a turning point. In that game, he surrendered six goals on thirty shots, which resulted in a loss that went into overtime.
Notably, he allowed eight goals on just fourteen shots in a loss to Tampa Bay by a score of 8-2, and he conceded four goals against Vancouver on December 9th. However, the other goaltenders for Carolina, Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, have not been able to surpass Raanta in terms of performance.
Andersen, who was temporarily out due to blood clots, earned a career-low SV% of.894 in six appearances, while Kochetkov posted an SV% of.890 in 14 games with the team. Both of these numbers are below the average for the National Hockey League this season.
In light of the fact that Andersen’s return schedule is uncertain, the timing of the decision is particularly notable. Concerns have been raised regarding the suitability of Yaniv Perets as Kochetkov’s backup goaltender because he is the only goaltender with an NHL contract for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Perets is presently playing for Norfolk in the ECHL. The Hurricanes do not have an affiliation in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season.
The conclusion that Raanta should be placed on waivers may indicate that a possible deal is now in the works.
It is possible that the team that is acquiring Raanta will be unwilling to take on his salary. On the other hand, it is also possible that they are securing his availability for a recall from the minors in the event that a goalkeeper transaction takes place.
At the moment, Montreal, Columbus, Buffalo, and Detroit are among the clubs that have three goaltenders on their active roster. Each of these teams has a different level of interest in lowering the number of goaltenders they have on their roster to two.
In addition, there is a possibility that other teams would be willing to trade one of their two goaltenders at the moment. It is essential to emphasize that Antti Raanta does not have to be assigned to the minor leagues if he is able to clear waivers on Sunday at one o’clock in the afternoon Central Time.
One possible interpretation of this action is that it is a strategic maneuver designed to improve day-to-day cap flexibility or to send a message to Antti Raanta in order to support him in his performance turnaround.
Given that the roster freeze is only a week away, it is imperative that Carolina clarify their plans regarding the veteran player as soon as possible. Carolina has the ability to release a prorated amount of $1.15 million from their salary cap if Antti Raanta is able to clear waivers and is then sent down to the minor leagues.
Antti Raanta’s NHL career stats
Antti Raanta, the goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes, has compiled an incredible collection of statistics over his career.
Based on the information provided by hockey-reference, Raanta has compiled a record of 6-5-1 during the course of the 2023-24 season, which consists of 14 games played.
The fact that his goals against average is 3.613 demonstrates that he has been performing exceptionally well defensively. In addition, Raanta has demonstrated a remarkable save % of.8543 and has recorded one shutout during his career.
The veteran goaltender has become an extremely formidable presence in the net for the Carolina Hurricanes, as seen by the fact that he has accumulated 749 minutes of time spent on the ice.