James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Originally posted on Canucksarmy | By Mike Gould | Last updated 9/3/24
The Vancouver Canucks have been strongly connected to unrestricted free agent goaltender Kevin Lankinen amidst the uncertainty around Thatcher Demko’s health, but a new report suggests he may not be their only target.
According to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, former Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta is also on the Canucks’ radar as a potential candidate to attend their training camp on a professional tryout.
“Per [Rick Dhaliwal’s] report that Thatcher Demko is back on the ice, this is good news for Canucks,” MacIntyre tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “Team not setting any pre-season deadlines, but wants Demko to keep improving, which he is. Besides Lankinen, Antti Raanta is another goalie on radar as potential PTO.”
As Dhaliwal reported earlier on Tuesday, the Canucks have received good news on the goaltending front of late as Demko has resumed skating and Artūrs Šilovs’ injury is not believed to be serious. Even so, the Canucks’ management team remains in the market for veteran insurance.
Raanta, 35, struggled in his limited action with the Hurricanes during the 2023-24 regular season, posting a 12-7-2 record, one shutout, and an .872 save percentage in 24 games. He finished the season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, going 2-2-4 with an .873 save percentage in eight games.
Before signing with the Hurricanes in 2021, Raanta spent four seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, where he peaked with a 21-17-6 record and a .930 save percentage over 47 games in the 2017-18 campaign. Prior to that, he also played with the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks, the latter of whom he won the Stanley Cup with in 2015 as the third-stringer behind Corey Crawford and Scott Darling.
An undrafted goaltender, the 6′, 195-pound Raanta first attracted the attention of NHL teams in the early 2010s after posting stellar numbers with Ässät in the Finnish Liiga. The Rauma, Finland product made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in the 2013-14 season and was traded to the Rangers in 2015.
In 275 career NHL games over parts of 11 seasons with the Blackhawks, Rangers, Coyotes, and Hurricanes, Raanta has posted a 139-80-29 record, 20 shutouts, and a .915 save percentage. He’s also appeared in 24 career playoff contests with the Rangers, Coyotes, and Hurricanes, going 9-9 with one shutout and a .911 save percentage.
