RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — If being swept in the Eastern Conference Final wasn’t painful enough, are you ready to talk about how Frederick Andersen and Antti Raanta have a real chance to not be between the pipes for the Carolina Hurricanes next season?

I didn’t think so, however, it’s no secret the aging Andersen, who will be 34 by the beginning of next season, has been plagued with injuries in recent seasons.

He suffered both an upper (March) and lower body (Dec.) injury in 2018, a neck injury in 2020, three lower body injuries in 2021, dealt with a bout of COVID-19 in 2022, along with another lower body and undisclosed injury in the pandemic-shortened season and missed time with an upper body and illness in 2023.

It may be a good thing Carolina was blessed with a backup who is currently having career-best numbers on his fourth NHL team.

Raanta had a 19-3 year, posting a 2.23 goals against average and .910 save percentage in the regular season. His play down the final stretch even tabbed his as the starter for the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But let’s not act like Raanta has always been a great goaltender.

His 19 wins were two shy of his career-best from the 2017-18 season, but has spent a majority of his 10-year career as a backup. Although beginning his career in Chicago, he is most remembered for his latest, four-year stint with the Arizona Coyotes.

Compared to his current 34-8 record where he was being treated as a part-time starter, mainly due to injuries, he was 46-42 in Arizona across four seasons. Remember — 82 games make up the regular season.

The Athletic said it best when it reported Raanta is more of a No. 2 goalie, “probably good for a maximum of 30 regular-season games.”

This previous season, across the NHL, fans saw more goalie tandems. And, that’s what Carolina did with Andersen, Raanta and — Pyotr Kochetkov.

The Athletic also said the Hurricanes could opt to go with Kochetkov, who they drafted in 2019 with a second-round pick, and currently has a four-year contract extension. That might suggest Carolina wants him in the organization long-term.

But is the team willing to throw all its chips in a basket on someone who is pretty much unproven?

Both Andersen and Raanta are on expiring deals, and with the Hurricanes staring down the barrel of likely needing to sign deals to star players and above-average position players, are three goalies with potentially hefty price tags in the cards?

Is Carolina really going to pick Andersen, for example, over 26-year-old Sebastian Aho who will be a free agent next year? Or Teuvo Teravaninen, Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce? It also has captain Jordan Staal without a contract now that the playoffs are over.

Primo goal scorers, assist masterminds and leadership can certainly be worth the cost over aging, injury-prone and half-a-season-worth goaltenders.