When the Rangers dealt Antti Raanta to Arizona in the Derek Stepan deal, a quick survey of the market revealed plenty of useful options to serve as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup. There was a decent mix of higher upside projects and relatively safe veteran choices. When it came out that Benoit Allaire had zeroed in on Ondrej Pavelec for the role, many were surprised, myself included.
The 29 year-old Czech native (30 when the season starts) was a 2nd round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers back in 2005.