News » That timing was obviously right after Harvard

Antti Raanta handled injuries Womens Tuukka Rask Jersey , a scorpion infestation and a minor car wreck in his first year as a starting NHL goaltender.Battling through all that earned him a three-year contract that makes him the Arizona Coyotes‘ franchise goalie for the foreseeable future. Raanta is scheduled to earn $12.75 million over the life of the deal that keeps him under contract through the 2020-21 season.The 28-year-old Raanta is 21-16-6 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in 46 games after three separate injuries threatened to derail his season. In 140 career games that included backing up with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers, the Finn has a 2.30 GAA and .922 save percentage.”He stops the puck,” general manager John Chayka said on a conference call Friday. ”He just seems to, when he’s on, he’s locked in and he’s reading everything and making the game look easy. You put up his numbers both this season and over his career, he’s a high, high-end goaltender in terms of stopping the puck.”Raanta would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer. Instead Zdeno Chara Jersey , he’s glad to be in Arizona long term and hopes to earn another big contract when this one expires at age 32.”I want to be playing a lot, I want to be playing at a really good level all the time and I want to get us in the playoff picture and I want to be successful in there, also,” Raanta said. ”I think getting the three-year deal, it’s perfect for everybody right now.”With Raanta playing well and improvements under first-year coach Rick Tocchet, Arizona is 16-8-2 since Feb. 12 after losing 42 of its first 55 games. Raanta is 9-1-0 with a 1.30 GAA and .959 save percentage and two shutouts in his past 10 appearances.That’s the play Chayka expected when the Coyotes acquired Raanta and center Derek Stepan from the New York Rangers last offseason in a trade that meant giving up the seventh overall pick and defensive prospect Anthony DeAngelo.Tocchet said last month that he wished Raanta came into training camp in better shape, something Chayka alluded to.”I have lots of confidence that he’s going to commit himself to being an NHL starter: taking care of your body and doing the right things to play 60-plus games Xavier Ouellet Jersey Womens ,” Chayka said. ”I think this year was a great learning experience for him. I think he’s a dedicated guy. I think he’s understood what it takes now on a personal level for himself, what it’s like to be a starter.”Raanta believes he can adjust his offseason preparations to be more prepared to go next season and beyond.”I think it was kind of a growing process for me also – the first year playing a lot, being the No. 1 guy and it’s a big mental adjustment from being a backup to start playing more,” Raanta said. ”It’s going to be good for me to know what it takes to play lots of games and it’s going to be good for me to kind of see what I need to do more in the summertime, what I want to improve, and come back stronger next year.”— BOSTON (AP) The Boston Bruins have signed Ryan Donato to a two-year, entry-level deal and say the U.S. Olympic star could play for them right away.Donato had 26 goals and 17 assists in 29 games this season at Harvard. He led the United States with five goals and six points at the Olympics as one of its youngest players.The 21-year-old is eligible to be in Boston’s lineup Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets TJ Brodie Jersey , a big boost to a Stanley Cup contender down the stretch.Donato was a second-round pick for Boston in 2014, and the team retained his rights while he played for his father, Ted Donato, a former Bruin who has been the coach at Harvard since 2004. The Boston native said at the Olympics it was always a dream for him to play in the NHL and for the Bruins, but he didn’t want to make any declarations about his future, which could soon include playoff action.”At the end of the day I want to graduate as well,” Donato said after the U.S. was eliminated at the Olympics. ”We’ll see what the future holds.”The Bruins are currently without center Patrice Bergeron (fractured foot) Womens Travis Hamonic Jersey , left wing Jake DeBrusk (upper body) and right wing/center David Backes (laceration) because of injuries.”No I don’t think it tipped the scales either way. I think Ryan might’ve looked at it as an even bigger opportunity for him to go in and possibly play as early as (Monday),” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said about his team’s injury list, which also includes defensemen Zdeno Chara (upper body) and Charlie McAvoy (sprained MCL). ”From our standpoint, we had always been committed to providing the opportunity to Ryan if and when he decided to leave school. And I think a few things just kind of lined up accordingly.”Despite their injury issues, the Bruins are just four points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference with two games in hand. But there is no timetable for the return of any of the injured players, and Sweeney saw the signing of Donato as a chance to add to coach Bruce Cassidy’s depth.”My expectations are that he’ll get his feet wet and show us what he can do at this level. We’re not going to put any pressure on him to say, `You have to produce Florida Panthers Hoodies Womens ,”’ Sweeney said. ”He’s going to be another player that the coach will have an opportunity to play.”Asked if he thought his son was NHL-ready, Ted Donato said, ”There are so many factors involved in being NHL-ready, one certainly would be the opportunity presented yourself and the right timing.” That timing was obviously right after Harvard did not make the NCAA Tournament and the Bruins got him signed.—