Raanta is planning to start skating soon to prepare for his new job. He knows he'll be expected to play about 60 games as Arizona's starter, and he says he is up for the challenge.
"You have to be in top shape to be a No. 1 goalie in this League and that's my goal right now," Raanta said. "You (also) have to have the right mind-set. There's lots of games to play, but you have to find the right way to handle your emotions and your work ethic. Hopefully I've learned something from Henrik's work ethic and hopefully I can be, one day, as good as him."
Raanta joined the NHL in 2013 when signed with Chicago after winning the Finnish championship that season with Assat Pori. He was voted the league's MVP for both the regular season and the playoffs that year. In four NHL seasons, he has posted a 47-23-9 record, a 2.32 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 94 games, all as a backup.
"I have been privileged to play behind Corey Crawford in Chicago and Henrik Lundqvist in New York, and working with great goalie coaches in Chicago and New York," Raanta said. "... It's been kind of like a step-by-step process for me. Last year, I kind of felt that my game was finding the right way and my confidence level was going better and better all the time. I felt like I was giving the team the chance to win every night. There's going to be other goalies and there's going to be a battle for the No.1 spot (in Arizona), but I feel my game is going in the right direction … and I feel like I'm ready to take one more step and be playing more and get the No. 1 spot."
Raanta earned 12 of his 16 wins, and posted a 1.99 goals-against average, on the road last season, and he posted a perfect record (4-0-0) vs. Pacific Division teams. Both of those stats are good news for the Coyotes, who struggled away from home (12-24-5) and within their division (12-12-5) in 2016-17.