Raanta maintains his positive outlook
Antti Raanta stood behind a bus containing his goalie gear and new Rockford IceHogs teammates after a game at the Allstate Arena.
Chatting with a couple of reporters following a 26-save victory against the Chicago Wolves last Sunday, the 25-year old Finnish goalie wore a baseball hat flipped backward and a smile that used to light up the Blackhawks' locker room.
That was before the Hawks replaced him as Corey Crawford's backup Feb. 22, after he allowed 2 goals in relief of Crawford during a 6-2 loss to the Boston Bruins.
Scott Darling, a Lemont native, was recalled after that game and signed to a two-year contract extension. Raanta, who re-signed with the Hawks last summer, was a little perplexed.
"You just have so many questions inside your head and you try to figure it out, like, 'What did I do wrong?' " said Raanta, who went 7-4-1 with a 1.89 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in 14 appearances with the Hawks.
"The next day, when I came to Rockford, I was just full of energy. I just wanted to get a new start again for this season. That's the only thing I can do, just go in there and play hockey. We'll see what the big guys (in Chicago) think about that then."
Leave it to Raanta to find the bright side. He's the eternal optimist. Others might pout in his situation, but Raanta doesn't see the point.
His goal is the same as the day he first signed with the Hawks in 2013 as a hotly pursued free agent in Finland. He wants to be a starting goalie in the NHL and will keep working to make it happen, whether it's with the Hawks or another team.
The question is where he fits with the Blackhawks?
Crawford is signed long term and isn't likely to be traded in the upcoming summer salary-cap purge. Darling, who's 6-feet-6, has the inside track to be the backup.
Could Raanta be moved this summer?
It's possible. Then again, there were rumors about him being traded before the deadline expired March 2. His friends back in Finland kept him aware of every single one.
"I think the last three hours I didn't go to Twitter anymore," Raanta said. "Of course, there were lots of rumors going on, but I didn't hear anything from my agent or anybody, so I almost knew that nothing was going to happen."
The rest of this season is less predictable. If the Hawks have an unforeseen injury to Crawford or Darling, it would likely be Raanta who gets called up. If there's no need in Chicago, he will ride it out with the IceHogs, who hope to make a run in the AHL playoffs.
He's currently backing up NHL journeyman Michael Leighton, but that could change, too.
"There's lots of things going on, but I try not to think about it," Raanta said of his career. "Of course, you think about it, but you always have to say you try not to think about it. You can just do what you can do.
"If you start focusing too much on that kind of stuff, it's going to affect your games and your practicing, and you're going to be tired mentally. I just try to do my job."