Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour announced that goaltender Antti Raanta will be out for “at least a couple weeks” with his lower-body injury.
Raanta, 34, did not return to Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche for the third period after he had come into the game in relief of Pyotr Kochetkov to start the second period. Raanta left the game having stopped all nine shots that he faced, with the Hurricanes going on to win the game 5-2, although he didn’t get credit for the win.
Based on the timeline given by Brind’Amour, Raanta is expected to miss at least 6-7 games, and potentially more if the injury takes longer to heal. The Canes are currently running a goaltending tandem of Kochetkov and Spencer Martin, while Frederik Andersen is also skating and may return some time soon, although there’s no specific timeline for a return yet.
Raanta has struggled throughout the season for the Canes, with a 12-7-2 record, one shutout, and a league-worst .872% save percentage. It’s just as bad under the hood as well, as Raanta’s -7.64 goals saved above expected is the seventh-worst in the league.
Raanta was an undrafted free agent signing by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013, making his NHL debut later that season for the team. After two seasons in Chicago, he was dealt to the New York Rangers for Ryan Haggerty in the 2015 offseason, where he spent another two seasons before he was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017 offseason along with Derek Stepan for Tony DeAngelo and a first-round pick. Raanta spent four seasons in Arizona before leaving in free agency in 2021 to sign with the Canes.
Raanta is currently signed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Canes, and will become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.
The Hurricanes will look to build off of Thursday’s win over the Avs when they host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST. Carolina currently sits in second in the Metropolitan Division with a 29-16-5 record.
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