Free Agent To Be Darling Traded To Carolina

He’s about five weeks away from being a free agent but the Chicago Blackhawks decided to trade goaltender Scott Darling for something while they could.

The goaltender who was a key member of their Stanley Cup championship in 2015 was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for a third-round pick in the 2017 Draft. The pick originally belonged to Ottawa but it was given to Carolina in the Viktor Stalberg trade.

We appreciate his contributions to the Blackhawks organization — including a Stanley Cup Championship team — and we wish him well as he continues his career in Carolina. – Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman

I believe the trade could pay off huge for the Hurricanes if they are able to sign him. This would allow them to have a goaltender for the future while exposing Cam Ward or Eddie Lack in the expansion draft.  Many hockey insiders think Darling is worth more than a third-round pick, so while the risk for Carolina could pay off if they can get him to sign instead of testing free agency on July 1.

“We could count on Scott in any situation as he was always reliable,” Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said. “We appreciate his contributions to the Blackhawks organization — including a Stanley Cup Championship team — and we wish him well as he continues his career in Carolina.”

With Ward and Lack in goal, Carolina tied for 26th in the NHL with a .901 in save percentage. Both goalies are signed through next season.

This season Darling backed up Corey Crawford and went 18-5-5 with a 2.38 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in 32 games (27 starts) this season. He finishes his time in Chicago with 75 GP (64 starts), 39-17-9 record and a 2.37 GAA, .923 save percentage and four shutouts.

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