With the recent saga of Jeremy Morin starting to drag out, I thought it would be the perfect time to look into the crystal ball, and think of who the next Blackhawk it could be to want out of Chicago.
Remember this past summer when Antti Raanta signed his extension and said he wanted to give Crawford a run for the starting gig? I know it was a long time ago, but fast forward to the present day and you have to wonder what the young Finnish netminder is thinking now. You would think with two separate injuries to Corey Crawford, that Raanta the "backup" goalie would be seeing regular playing time. Instead it would appear Raanta has just become a backup goalie, to Rockford call up Scott Darling.
Make no mistake about it, Raanta is a work in progress, but at the same time, how the hell is he supposed to improve when he is continually super glued to the bench? You're kidding yourself if you don't think there's some frustration starting to boil over with Raanta.
My suggestion to the Blackhawks is either ride Raanta as the starter while Crawford is out, or send him to Rockford to see regular playing time. When I compare Raanta to Darling, I think of Darling as the more prototypical NHL backup goalie than Raanta. With the way Finland is spitting out goalies as of late, I think there's more of an upside to Raanta than Darling. Other GMs around the league that need goaltending depth realize that. Which leads me to believe that if or when Raanta wants out of Chicago, he could hold the key to another team taking a bad contract off of the Blackhawks hands, cough, cough Bryan Bickell.
We've all seen how the Blackhawks have mismanaged their beloved prospects in the past. Remember Brandon Pirri, Jeremy Morin, Jimmy and Kevin Hayes? If the Blackhawks keep playing this game of sitting Raanta on the bench, its going to kill some of that value he has.
With the goalie status in Chicago cemented with Corey Crawford for the foreseeable future, there is no future for Raanta as a starter. If the belief is (which is what I think), that Raanta can be a starting NHL goalie, then the Blackhawks need to showcase him to the league. With the current cap situation of the Blackhawks, someone taking a bad contract off of the their hands, is the best scenario for the Hawks.
The risk the Hawks take in letting Raanta ride the bench, is the frustration that could be mounting. The last thing the Hawks need is for this situation become even more messy, and letting it get out that Raanta wants a trade. In the end, I do think Raanta will be traded at some point, but I'd much rather see him go at max value and take a bad contract with him, than just him for a 3rd or 4th round draft pick.
