New York Rangers' Antti Raanta: The New Cam Talbot?

Cam Talbot once reigned supreme while Henrik Lundqvist was out with injury. Talbot led the Rangers to the Presidents Trophy, then found himself shipped to the Edmonton Oilers for assets. Antti Raanta took over as the Rangers’ backup, and may find himself following in the footsteps of Talbot.

Benoit Allaire deserves credit for bringing in assets for the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot was an undrafted free agent that was never expected to be an NHL player. Benoit Allaire worked with him, and suddenly Cam Talbot helped lead the Rangers to a Presidents Trophy victory.

Talbot was rewarded with the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, and a new-found respect across the NHL. Being a backup with a year remaining on his contract, Talbot’s trade value sky-rocketed. While the Rangers wanted to keep the fantastic back-up, they recognized his value was higher as trade bait.

Thus, the Rangers’ back-up was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for having too good of a season.

Now, Antti Raanta is having the season of his career. Raanta is currently filling in for the injured Henrik Lundqvist, much like Talbot did in his breakout season. Raanta was a no-name in the NHL before coming to the Rangers, much like Talbot was. The then-Chicago Blackhawk lost his NHL job to Scott Darling, earning a demotion to Rockford of the AHL.

But Raanta teamed up with Benoit Allaire and had a fine backup season in his first year with the Rangers. Given greater playing time, Raanta’s second season earned him appreciation across the league. With Lundqvist’s injury now, however, Raanta can solidify himself as a future starter in the NHL.

New York could lose Raanta in the Expansion Draft to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Another option, however, is to trade Raanta before the Expansion Draft. Magnus Hellberg fits the Expansion requirements, thus the only reasons not to do so would be the possibility of Raanta not being drafted and then wishing to keep him, or not getting enough value to make it worth while to trade the star back up.

But if Raanta can bring back anything similar to the package Cam Talbot brought to New York-three draft picks including a second round pick-moving Raanta becomes a no-brainer. Benoit Allaire has proven time and time again that he can turn no names into solid backups in New York.

Raanta will leave after next season for a better chance at a starting job anyway, so maximizing his value would be moving him in the off-season. Perhaps a team like the Calgary Flames or Dallas Stars would be willing to part with strong assets for a goalie on a cheap one-year deal.

Regardless, Raanta’s play in the upcoming stretch will be telling. Raanta is the starter until Lundqvist returns, and it was during a similar stretch that Cam Talbot played his way out of New York by being too good.

Next: Henrik Lundqvist Injury Report

Will Antti Raanta be Cam Talbot, or will Antti Raanta be a Ranger next season? We’re about to find out.

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New York Rangers’ Antti Raanta: The New Cam Talbot?

By Brandon Cohen | Mar 15, 2017

Cam Talbot once reigned supreme while Henrik Lundqvist was out with injury. Talbot led the Rangers to the Presidents Trophy, then found himself shipped to the Edmonton Oilers for assets. Antti Raanta took over as the Rangers’ backup, and may find himself following in the footsteps of Talbot.