3 Carolina Hurricanes Not Expected Back Next Season

The Carolina Hurricanes will be an active team this upcoming offseason as they have several orders of business to complete. While the team's attention is on the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs, let's jump ahead to the summer and showcase three Hurricanes not expected back next season:

Paul Statsny

37-year-old Paul Statsny is a pending free agent and is likely making his way down retirement avenue this summer. The veteran forward has scored eight times and chipped in with 20 points this season, through 64 games. The end of the road is near and with over 1100 career games, what a career.

Derek Stepan

Another depth forward for the Hurricanes, Derek Stepan is a pending free agent who won't be in the 'Canes plans next season. The 32-year-old is having a hard time finding consistent minutes and has only produced 11 points in 64 games. He'll likely have to settle for a two-way contract next season, and it's likely not coming from Carolina's management team.

Antti Raanta

With Pyotr Kochetkov signed to a contract extension, he's secured himself as a goaltender of the future for Carolina, the same can't be said for Antti Raanta. He's a pending free agent who will have to look elsewhere for his next contract. The team likes Frederik Andersen and will do whatever they can to secure Andersen as a partner to Kochetkov, as the Canes will once again go with a tandem approach next season.

Photo credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports