Veteran Goalie Gets Recall From Minors

All it took was two games in the minors and veteran netminder Antti Raanta has been recalled to the big club, returning to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 34-year-old was waived earlier in the month and assigned to the Chicago Wolves just 10 days ago. In his two starts there, he went 1-0-1 with a 2.90 goals-against and an .875 save percentage. Those numbers, at least, were somewhat better than the awful stats he posted in the first couple of months of the season in Carolina, going 6-5-1 with a dreadful .854 Sv% that ranked 80th in the NHL. He also had a very subpar 3.61 GAA.

Some good insight from Don Waddell in a conversation with @AGoldFan -

• The #Canes GM said he still believes in Antti Raanta and met the goalie after clearing waivers. It might be two games or two weeks in Chicago, but the most important thing is him getting his game back.

•… pic.twitter.com/GkqxiTmseW
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) December 18, 2023

His return after only a couple of contests in the AHL matches up with what Hurricanes GM Don Waddell said at the time he was sent down, indicating that "it might be two games or two weeks, but the most important thing is him getting his game back." Apparently, it was the former.

Raanta had posted very respectable numbers in his first two seasons with the Hurricanes, with a 2.34 GAA and a .911 Sv% combined. In 2021-22, in fact, he and Frederik Andersen shared the Jennings Trophy for fewest team goals against.

His counterpart in net this season, 24-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov has recorded a 7-7-3 mark in his 18 games played with a a 2.69 GAA and an .894 Sv%.

Those two have been trying to hold down the fort (not extremely successfully) with starter Frederik Andersen out indefinitely with a blood clotting issue. He was recently cleared to return to skate, and is still at least about a month away, according to a rough estimate by the Canes.

No word yet on when Raanta will get the call to be back between the pipes for Carolina.

Photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports