Arizona Coyotes training camp is here and one of the biggest questions surrounding this season is which Goaltender will essentially be deemed to be the number one goalie between Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta. While talking to the media on Thursday John Chayka confirmed that it will be an open competition.
Head Coach Rick Tocchet echoes those comments explaining that its a good situation to have and that he doesn’t have a set plan on who to play when.
Last season Darcy Kuemper solidified himself as being a top tier goalie in the NHL. He finished the season fifth in voting for the Vezina trophy, the league’s top goaltender. Kuemper played in 55 games last season putting up some elite stats. A 2.33 GAA & a .925 Sv%. While Antti Raanta was hurt early in the season and only played in 12 games. Raanta was asked about a tandem situation and said it would be a good thing to have a battle.
Staying healthy is something GM John Chayka also said was important when it comes to evaluating the position
This tandem approach is something that is starting to happen more and more around the league and the Coyotes are looking like they are the latest to make that a reality.