"He's never played 55 or 60 games (in an NHL season), so this is a situation that I'm sure he wants to grab it and hold it," Head Coach Rick Tocchet said after Raanta's first few practices. "He's a calm goalie. I like calm goalies. He doesn't flip and flop. Goalies that are quieter in net, it's easier to play defense in front of them."
Playing for New York last season, Raanta was asked to start eight games in a row while starter Henrik Lundqvist nursed an injury near the end of the regular season. Raanta notched a 3-3-2 record during that stretch and he stopped 202 of 221 of the shots he faced. That's a .914 save percentage.
More importantly, he experienced what it's like to play on a consistent basis.
"I think when you're playing more games it's kind of easier," Raanta said. "You get a rhythm going. You just go and play. Sometimes you make your life hard when you are a backup. You play one game and then you sit five, six games on the bench and you just think about all kinds of crazy things and all the bad things (from your last start)."
Raanta's primary strengths are his positioning, his patience and his athleticism.
"You put those three things together and you've got a pretty good goaltender," Elkin said. "And I see those three things in Antti. He reads the play great, he's very poised and patient, and he's very athletic. I like what I see."
Another strength for Raanta is his personality. General Manager John Chayka has described him as having a friendly aura about him. His teammates agree.
"A big part of what made Antti such a big part of our Rangers team last year is not only did he compete and not only is he a great goaltender, he's one of the best guys to be around in the locker room," Stepan said. "He's always happy, and he's got a smile on his face all the time. He loves being a part of a team that goes out and wins hockey games and he loves to be the guy that gets it done."