11-year NHL veteran goaltender announces retirement from the league
Finnish goaltender Antti Raanta told sources in Finland today that he will not be returning to North America, effectively ending his 11-year NHL career.
The veteran Finn was generally a good backup goalie in his NHL days, appearing in nearly 300 games over the course of his lengthy career, split between four clubs. In fact, he was the second leading Finnish goalie in the league in career games played, only behind Jusse Saros. That being said, Bruins goaltender Jonas Korpisalo figures to pass Raanta on the games played list next season as he is currently just one appearance behind, with 276 career games played so far. The following has been translated from a Finnish source.
"Raanta is the second most experienced active Finnish goaltender in NHL games played. Since the 2013-14 season, Raanta has made saves in 277 games in the regular season and 24 in the playoffs.
In July, there were inquiries from a few NHL clubs, including Toronto."
In July, there were inquiries from a few NHL clubs, including Toronto."
This news will be tough to hear for NHL clubs that are currently desperate for goaltending. After all, Raanta was arguably the best goaltender still available in free agency this summer. One team that was interested in him in particular were the Vancouver Canucks, who reportedly asked about his availability after news that Thatcher Demko's injury may carry over into the regular season. However, the Canucks will have to look elsewhere to fill that gap now.
Raanta did reveal however, that his playing career is not over just yet. the 35-year-old is reportedly exploring his options across Europe, including in Germany, Czechia, and Switzerland.
Previously on Daily Hockey Dose
| POLL | ||
14 SEPTEMBRE | 40 ANSWERS 11-year NHL veteran goaltender announces retirement from the league Are you surprised to see that Antti Raanta will not be playing in the NHL next season? | ||
| Yes | 25 | 62.5 % |
| No | 15 | 37.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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