Stanley Cup champion goaltender abandons the NHL and heads to Europe

PUBLICATION

Daniel Lucente
September 24, 2024 (10:33)

SHARE THIS STORY

Former NHL goaltender Antti Raanta has decided not to join any NHL clubs but rather head overseas to play for Geneve-Servette HC in the National Swiss league.

Veteran goaltender Antti Raanta signed a one-year contract with the top-team Geneve-Servette HC of the Swiss National League. This move was announced by the team in confirmation that the goaltender's NHL time is over. The move occurred in the week after Raanta announced he was continuing his career in Europe, meaning retiring from North American hockey. As a result, over a decade spent in the NHL has come to an end, and Raanta starts anew overseas in a league that has found itself a destination for many veterans looking for a fresh start.

The goaltender signing came as Geneve-Servette HC, after sustaining an injury to its Number 2 goalie Gauthier Descloux, reached out to Antti Raanta. Raanta will now provide backup to the team's established starter, Robert Mayer. Mayer, 34, is off of one of the best seasons of his career in which he captured the NL's Goalie of the Year title in 2023, posting a .923 save percentage in the team's first two games this season. Raanta brings experience to a team with aspirations of contending for a championship.

At 35 years of age, it wasn't particularly surprising to see Antti Raanta leave the NHL with the limited interest in him as a full-time player. Coming off a rough season with the Carolina Hurricanes, during which he posted a .872 save percentage in 24 games, most NHL squads believed he was a third-string option at best. Instead of sitting in a minimized role in North America, Raanta has opted for a full-time assignment with one of Europe's top teams. The reigning NL champions are Geneve-Servette, who also captured a Champions Hockey League title last season. Their roster is full of players that have NHL experience.

Antti Raanta's NHL career began way back in 2013 when the Chicago Blackhawks signed him as an undrafted free agent from Finland's Assat. Over the past 11 seasons, he has appeared in 277 different contests for the Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and Carolina Hurricanes. While his availability often was limited due to injury, Raanta consistently was a talented netminder who, when healthy, remained strong in backup duty and often found time as a starter.

Over the course of his NHL career, Antti Raanta compiled a very respectable record of 139-80-29. He recorded 20 shutouts and had a career goals-against average of 2.48 along with a .915 save percentage. The fact that he could be consistently good throughout his prime years developed a reputation for him as a reliable presence in net. While last year's issues might have dropped his stock in the NHL, his career statistics provide evidence of a netminder who was well above the median during his prime. Raanta was also given a day with the Stanley Cup and a Stanley Cup Ring in 2015 after the Chicago Blackhawks captured the championship, but his name was not engraved on the Stanley Cup due to not dressing in the playoffs because he was playing in the minors after the trading deadline.

Antti Raanta's latest move to Switzerland just signals the next phase of this long and accomplished career. Whereas the NHL has decided to move on from him, this is a great opportunity to continue at the high level of hockey with one of the more competitive European clubs. In turn, Geneve-Servette HC uses the great opportunity to keep him competitive while he helps the team continue contending for more titles. With Raanta arriving, the Geneva squad will gain greater depth and experience, while his reputation as one of the most skilled and reliable goaltenders who enjoyed success on both sides of the ocean will continue to grow.