Bobby Bevilacqua

The Rangers found their new backup, trading for Antti Raanta from the Chicago Blackhawks. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks.

It didn’t take long for the Rangers to find their new backup goalie, trading for Antti Raanta from the Chicago Blackhawks, and sending prospect Ryan Haggerty their way.

Rangers fans should be familiar with Ryan Haggerty, as he has been around the team’s training camp and preseason games for quite some time now. He played his first season in the AHL, finishing with 33 points (15-18-33) in 76 regular season games. He never really did enough to stand out amongst the other prospects, and the Rangers didn’t have any room for him on the NHL roster. Haggerty will surely get a chance to compete for a spot on the Blackhawks roster, mainly because they are looking for cheap, effective forwards.

Antti Raanta was the third goalie for Chicago, behind Scott Darling and Corey Crawford on the roster. But it wasn’t because of his skill. The cap-strapped Blackhawks went with the cheaper, and solid option in Darling for the second half of the regular season and the playoffs.

Raanta, 26, is a talented 6’0” Finnish goaltender with a low cap hit, which made him an attractive option for the Rangers. His play in the Finnish Elite League, Liiga, earned him a spot in the NHL. In 2012-13 with Assat Pori of the Liiga, Raanta finished with a 21-10-11 record (11 ties, not overtime losses) along with a spectacular 1.85 GAA in 45 games played.

In the NHL, he has been a solid back-up and fill-in option for Chicago. Over two seasons, Raanta posted a 20-9-5 record with a 2.41 GAA and a .912 save percentage. In a small sample size, he was very impressive during this past season, posting a 7-4-1 record with a 1.89 GAA, a .936 save percentage and two shutouts in 14 games played.

Sather did well here in getting Raanta for cheap. Haggerty wouldn’t have been in the NHL for a few years anyway, and isn’t one of the team’s elite prospects. He fills the Rangers backup goalie needs, has a very comfortable cap hit of $750,000, and has posted solid numbers in the NHL.

Raanta is an option that I didn’t know was available. He should be cheaper and better than other free agent goalies on the market, and he should do well behind the Rangers defense.