Canucks PTO Target Antti Raanta Elects To Head Home To Europe
Despite a Zoom call with Vancouver Canucks management, Raanta has decided to head back to Europe to finish his career.
Photo by James Guillory-Imagn Images - Canucks PTO Target Antti Raanta Elects To Head Home To EuropeDespite interest from multiple NHL teams, including the Vancouver Canucks, Antti Raanta has decided to head back to Europe to finish his career. The 35-year-old goaltender said during an interview with Finnish media outlet Ilta-Sanomat, "At the end of the season and in the summer, I thought about all sorts of things, but as the summer progressed and my body felt good, Europe started to attract more." Raanta had played 277 games during his NHL career and put together a 12-7-2 record with the Carolina Hurricanes last season.
During the interview, Raanta also revealed that he had a Zoom call with Vancouver. The goaltender said, "I turned it down right away and announced that I've kind of made up my mind that I won't be going there anymore," he said. "A few hours later, and suddenly, I was on a Zoom call with (goaltending coach) Marko Torenius and the GM. It would have been more of a try-out."
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The addition of Raanta would have made sense for multiple reasons. Not only would it add an experienced goaltender to the organization, but Raanta was also part of the Arizona Coyotes when Rick Tocchet was their head coach. With the preseason just a few weeks away, expect the Canucks to continue to search for an experienced goaltender to be a potential safety net in case Thatcher Demko is unable to start the season.
