Shifting Priorities Why Antti Raanta took less to remain in Carolina Hockey is a business. Culture and comradery propel a team to new heights, but money and business build the foundation. And just as much as that mantra relates to organizations, so too does it relate to the players. Hockey is a game, but it's also a job. It's how players earn a living for themselves, for their families and future generations. But sometimes, when the money has been made, families have been formed and the twilight of careers has started to wane, priorities can begin to shift. In fact, those shifting priorities are part of the reason why Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta decided to remain in Raleigh for both less term and less money. “There’s always a bunch of things other than just money and years," Raanta told The Hockey News. "As you get older, you start appreciating other things more than money and how many years. You just want to be in a place where you feel good and where you know you have a chance to win.” In 2021, the veteran netminder signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Canes and over the span of that deal, Raanta posted a 34-8-7 record with a 0.911 save percentage and six shutouts in the regular season and a 9-8-0 record in the postseason with a 0.918 save percentage. But despite those strong numbers, Raanta signed for just $1.5 million on a one-year deal to remain in Carolina. However, 'Father Finn' felt that his deal was a fair one. “At first it was kind of quiet,” Raanta said about his most recent negotiations. “Then, when you start talking, it's all about the numbers and things like that. You pretty much have just a couple of days to think about it and you have different ideas in your head and then you hear the team's ideas and then you just try to find the happy middle and that’s kind of how it went. When you think about it afterward, it was kind of easy, but it’s always a little bit stressful. Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta chat during a pre-game ceremony. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk4MzQzMjE2NzE2NTg4ODg1/usatsi_16954938.jpg] Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta chat during a pre-game ceremony. "I knew I had a good season, so I was confident I was hopefully going to end up playing somewhere, but I’m just super happy that everything worked out here." While the idea of listening to other offers did cross his mind, the reality of the matter was that he really only wanted to play for one team. “You don’t want to sell yourself too low and say that the only place that you want to be is here," Raanta said. "If you’re like, 'Yeah I don’t want to go anywhere else,' then you wouldn’t get the good deals, but obviously why wouldn’t you want to stay here? The organization is great, the team is great and we have a chance to win. Kind of a no-brainer after all to stay here.” Looking elsewhere for a better deal was certainly an option, but other factors have become more central in Raanta's overall decision making process. “I wouldn’t say it’s tough to go to new places, but it’s tough when your kids and your whole life is pretty much in one spot," Raanta said about remaining in Carolina. "It might be that in a one month span, you have to go from here to somewhere else and it’s going to take another couple months to get your normal life working and then the hockey comes and there’s just so many things going on. It’s easier when you can are in the same place and you know the routes, what roads to take, where the grocery stores and the schools are. "Why wouldn’t you want to stay here?" "For me, that was a big thing. My daughter started first grade a month ago and she really liked the school too. So all those things come into the conversation when you think of where your hockey career is going to continue. Those are almost bigger things than ‘Am I getting more money or more years?’” But what staying in Carolina also means though, is getting another shot at the Stanley Cup. “You also want to be on a team that has a chance to win," Raanta said. "I’m not getting any younger and I know I probably have more years behind me than in front of me, so you don’t want to waste your years just participating. You want to be where you have a chance to fight for the Stanley Cup and I think we have the group to get that done.”
