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Frederik Andersen led the Carolina Hurricanes almost all the way to the Stanley Cup.
Brandon Bussi is the goalie who finished the job, though, and Andersen's future in Carolina is now very much in doubt.
Andersen left in Game 3 and never returned, and at 36 years old, his time with the Hurricanes could be coming toward an end.
"The only question is what becomes of Andersen," ESPN's Ryan S. Clark and Kristin Shelton wrote in a new blurb after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final. "The 36-year-old is an unrestricted free agent, and carried Carolina most of the way through its postseason run. It's not hyperbole to suggest that the Canes wouldn't have reached the Cup Final without his string of strong performances throughout the first three rounds. However, Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov are signed through next season, and unless Carolina wants to carry three goaltenders again, Andersen might be the odd man out."
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There are two things at play here.
One is the Carolina angle, which the ESPN duo covers. If the Hurricanes don't want three NHL-level goalies to deal with in 2026-27, then bringing back Andersen doesn't make a lot of sense.
Beyond that, there are a bunch of NHL teams that could use goalie help, and not a surplus of goalies available. There could be a bit of a bidding war for Andersen after his postseason heroics.
It would be a bit of a bummer for Andersen and Carolina to part ways like this. Things were trending toward glory, but Andersen missed the closing stages of the party.
He should still get lots of love from Hurricanes fans for what he did this postseason.
Moving forward, though, he might have to find himself a new uniform, and so the odd ending with him being left out of the lineup could be the final memory many have of Andersen's time in Carolina.
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