Raanta Thrilled to Sign Long-Term Contract with Coyotes

GLENDALE --Goalie Antti Raanta said he couldn't stop smiling on Thursday, the day he and the Coyotes agreed to a three-year contract.
"It's obviously a dream come true, for sure," Raanta said. "The whole plan for this year was to play good, give the team the chance to win and prove to everybody that I can be the guy."

The Coyotes, of course, acquired Raanta via a trade with the New York Rangers last summer and immediately declared the four-year NHL backup goalie as their No. 1 netminder. Despite a few injuries that cost him some games, Raanta responded to the challenge and posted outstanding statistics in his first season with Arizona, with one game left on Saturday. He'll enter the finale having won six consecutive starts and with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in 46 games. Since Jan. 1, he leads the NHL in goals-against average (1.83) and in save percentage (.942) among goalies who have played at least 15 games.

"I wanted to play a lot and I wanted to play at a high level," Raanta said. "Of course it was a frustrating start to the season, lots of minor injuries, and I couldn't get rolling. When you start to play more (and) you start to get a couple wins, the confidence went to the roof ... It's been just a lot of fun. I love to play. It's much easier to play than to sit on the bench and watch the other guy doing it. I did that for four years and this year I got the chance to be the guy who can play a lot and it's been great. I love playing and I love winning the games. I love to make a difference on a daily basis. It's been going good so why not keep it going next year?"
Raanta, who was en route to becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer, is pleased that the contract negotiations are over and that he can enter the final game, the off-season, and next season with stopping pucks as his primary focus.
"It's always tough," he said of the negotiations. "You kind of wanted to get it done and you kind of wanted to move forward, and finally we've made it happen, and I'm super excited about it ... It's a great thing and I can't wait to get the new season started."

Despite a minor car accident on a Valley freeway and some issues with some scorpions in the their house, Raanta and his family have embraced Arizona as their new home.
"There's lots of things I like here," Raanta said. "Obviously, the team is playing really good hockey. The last part of the season we have been improving every game, and I want to be part of that. You can tell that we're going in the right direction and we're going to have a chance to get to the post-season. I just want to be the guy that everybody can trust and who can lift us to the playoffs and that, of course, was a big thing. And who doesn't love Arizona? The sun is shining all the time and the weather is great. The whole organization has treated us first class all year, so it's been really good."
Coyotes General Manager John Chayka said Raanta is a key cog to Arizona's future plans, and his leadership skills are a bonus.
"He's a good person and he wants to win," Chayka said. "He wants to be a part of this team and help this team grow. He's got a bit of a fiery side when he's on the ice and I know our coaching staff appreciates his approach to the game and how bad he wants to win. Down the stretch here, when there's been some big games and we needed some big saves, he was able to do that. To me, that's leadership."