Carolina assigns veteran goaltender to former AHL affiliate after parting ways in summer

On Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes placed veteran goaltender Antti Raanta on the waiver wire after a poor performance on Friday against the Detroit Red Wings.

The news of Raanta going on waivers did come as a bit of a surprise given the lack of depth the Hurricanes currently have between the pipes. Frederik Andersen is expected to miss the rest of the season with a blood clotting issue and with Raanta on waivers, that left Petyor Kochetkov as the only goaltender on the NHL roster, forcing the Hurricanes to call up Yaniv Perets from the ECHL due to them not having an AHL affiliate.

This past summer, the Hurricanes were left without an AHL affiliate after the Chicago Wolves decided to become the league's first independent team since the mid-1990s, but on Sunday, the two teams came together once again.

In a bit of a strange move, given the decision over the summer which left the Hurricanes in a tricky position, Carolina announced that Antti Raanta has been assigned to the Chicago Wolves.



The Hurricanes could have assigned Raanta to any American Hockey League team, if it was okay with their NHL affiliate, so it's a bit odd that they'd decide to go back to the team that screwed them over big time in the summer. It's safe to say that the Carolina Hurricanes need their own AHL affiliate as soon as next season to avoid situations like this and sending their prospects back to Europe who are ready for hockey in North America.