Today it was announced that the Carolina Hurricanes had placed Scott Darling and Valentin Zykov on waivers.

Given that I do not think his contract is movable unless the Hurricanes can pull off a deal where they exchange Darling for a similarly troublesome contract, I was a bit surprised that the Hurricanes did not ride a bit farther with three goalies until someone had more definitively claimed the #2 spot behind Curtis McElhinney.

But I guess the Hurricanes management team had seen enough to make Petr Mrazek the backup, get back to a normal two goalies and start the process of moving on from Scott Darling.

 

What is next for Scott Darling

Per Twitter early Thursday evening:

3.75 years is a typo, but the point is still the same.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple days. Checkers head coach Mike Vellucci made it clear that Nedeljkovic was still to be the #1 in Charlotte. Best guess is that the organization sends Callum Booth back to the Florida Everblades in the ECHL. With Nedeljkovic playing even some of the second halves of back-to-backs, Booth might be better-served playing more at the lower level regardless of the Darling situation. I guess that scenario puts Darling in the backup role in Charlotte.

 

The path forward

The term ‘dice roll’ was my favorite during the offseason in terms of describing the Canes goalie situation. The dice roll with Darling obviously did not come up a winner. I am in the camp that it was doomed from the get go. Despite the cost, I voted to buy Darling out last summer. After his struggles in 2017-18, I just think the hill to climb psychologically/mentally was going to be tough. This charts a course toward a buyout next summer if the Canes cannot swap him for another underperforming player on a pricey contract. If I am correct, the end result will be another Alexander Semin-like financial commitment. If bought out, Darling would be due $1.2 million per year for four years running through the 2022-23 season. The move is the only one for the Hurricanes, but I also think it is the best one for Darling. If he can find a fresh start with a new team, it represents his best chance to rebound at this point.

 

What say you Canes fans?

 

1) Was this result inevitable from the beginning of the 2018-19 season after what happened in 2017-18? Or could a healthy start or something else have yielded a different outcome for Darling?

 

2) If he proves immovable as I suggest, is anyone surprised that the team did not keep him in tow until Mrazek established himself as a capable #2?

 

3) What other comments do you have on today’s news on Darling?

 

4) What are your thoughts on Valentin Zykov also being put on waivers?

 

Go Canes!

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