Follow @james_tanner123 We resume one of the most closely watched countdowns in recent history with the number two reason why you should be excited about the Coyotes this season.
We began the countdown weeks ago with reason #5, which was the signing of Oliver Ekman-Larsson to a massive contract extension.
Reason #4 was a salute to the Coyotes GM John Chayke and the fact that the team finally has competent management.
Reason #3, which retrospectively should probably have been #1, was that the Coyotes have one of the NHL's best rosters.
Today we present reason #2: The play of Antti Raanta
Raanta is a 29 year-old goalie from Finland. He was acquired last summer from the New York Rangers in a trade that also saw the Coyotes land Derek Stepan.
Last season, Raanta showed why the Coyotes were so willing to bet on him as a starter. After posting solid number as a back-up for the Blackhawks and Rangers over four seasons, Raanta started 47 games for the Coyotes last year. He was excellent while doing so.
Raanta put up a 2.24 GAA and .930 save percentage despite playing in front of a team that was usually racked with injuries and generally quite terrible.
Pekka Rinne was awarded the Vezina Trophy for his 2.31 GAA and .927 season.
Rinne played in 59 games for one of the NHL's best teams, while Raanta played in 47 for one of the worst.
Not trying to tell you that Raanta is as good as Hasek, but 139 is a pretty significant amount of games and it's clear that Raanta is extremely good.
Here is a list of active NHL starting goalies with a career save percentage as good as Antti Raanta's :
John Gibson, tied. Tukka Rask, better by .001
So anyways, Raanta is pretty good.
Last year during the non-injured portions of the season he was among the best in the NHL, and when he played the Coyotes made it to at least overtime in over half their games.
Essentially, even though their team was so terrible overall, Raanta alone was almost enough to make them a playoff team.
If he can maintain, it is going to be a great thing to watch. The Coyotes could potentially have one of the NHL's best goalies.
Keep in mind that goalies are volatile and nothing is guaranteed, but from what we've seen so far, Antti Raanta is something to get excited about.
stats from hockeydb.com