Maple Leafs Rejected by Veteran Free Agent to Sign in Europe
The Toronto Maple Leafs, along with the Vancouver Canucks, expressed interest earlier this offseason in bringing veteran goaltender Antti Raanta into training camp under a professional tryout (PTO) offer but the 35-year-old has decided to move on from his NHL career. According to Patrick Johnston of The Province, Raanta turned down a PTO offer from the Canucks and rejected interest from the Leafs, choosing instead to continue his career in Europe.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, along with the Vancouver Canucks, expressed interest earlier this offseason in bringing veteran goaltender Antti Raanta into training camp under a professional tryout (PTO) offer but the 35-year-old has decided to move on from his NHL career. According to Patrick Johnston of The Province, Raanta turned down a PTO offer from the Canucks and rejected interest from the Leafs, choosing instead to continue his career in Europe.
Raanta, who has spent the past decade in the NHL playing for multiple teams including the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and most recently the Carolina Hurricanes, has a respectable 139-80-29 record with a 2.48 GAA and .915 SV% over his career. However, last season was a difficult one for him, as he struggled with a 2.99 GAA and .872 SV% in just 24 games. Despite the interest from Toronto and Vancouver-both teams seeking veteran goaltending depth as insurance while being clear-cut championship contenders-Raanta opted to pursue opportunities in Europe, looking for a more stable role in leagues based in countries such as Switzerland, Germany, or Czechia.
This decision, given the goaltender’s age, is most probably going to put an end to his time in the NHL as it’s hard to envision a comeback this late in his career. Raanta, in fact, cited his desire to focus on his family and the appeal of a more meaningful role in Europe as major factors in his decision.
The Toronto Maple Leafs head into training camp with a question mark hanging over their goaltending situation. While the club took steps to address the situation during the summer, it remains unclear whether it will be enough to solve the team’s ongoing goaltending issues.
The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending situation is a major question mark heading into training camp this fall.
The offseason focus of the Toronto Maple Leafs was predominantly on improving a middling blueline. On the whole, it seems GM Brad Treliving addressed the most pressing concerns on defence. However, another major area for concern was the goaltending.
Fans and analysts expected Toronto to make a big splash, going after a marquee netminder. For the most part, Leafs management tried their best to do so. Reportedly, the Leafs tried for and missed out on big names like Jacob Markstrom and Jusse Saros.
As such, the need to resort to a Plan B situation has sparked questions regarding the Leafs current goaltending situation. So, here are three thoughts on the matter heading into training camp this fall.
3 Thoughts on the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending situation
Item #1: It’s Joseph Woll’s crease to lose
Heading into the offseason, one of the biggest question marks was Joseph Woll. Would the Leafs keep him or move on from him?
