The Carolina Hurricanes surprisingly traded away a third-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goalie Scott Darling last Friday. The Hurricanes now have three goalies on the depth chart, a position that has proved to be troublesome for the team the past few years. The front office got right to work after the trade and Darling was signed to a four-year, $16.6-million contract yesterday.
This signing has completely changed the depth chart of the Hurricanes and starts this offseason with a bang.
Both Cam Ward and Eddie Lack are signed through next season, prompting some questions about this signing. The Hurriacnes’ goaltending was less than stellar this past season but Ward and Lack still played well enough to keep the confidence of management. It was assumed that one of them would be named the starter for next season but the acquirement of Darling has flipped all of it upside down.
Who will be the starting goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2017?
Darling played his first three seasons in the NHL for the Blackhawks, posting a .923 save percentage and a 39-17 record. In many aspects, Darling was more qualified to be the starter than current No.1 Corey Crawford. In 2016 Darling posted a .924 save percentage and a 2.38 goals-against average, both higher marks than Crawford. He has also made five postseason appearances, helping Chicago on their way to a Stanley Cup in 2015.
Darling fully deserves this money, as he was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, explaining Chicago’s eagerness to trade him. As inconsistent as Crawford is, I am surprised the Blackhawks did not give him the starting job, but he is now in the hands of Carolina.
The Hurricanes still have a stockpile of 10 picks left in the upcoming draft, making this a low-risk trade for both teams. Taking notes from the Cleveland Browns, Ron Francis has set things up so the Hurricanes can draft an entirely new starting rotation if they wanted to.
Carolina must also be thinking about the upcoming expansion draft for the Las Vegas Golden Knights. It is doubtful that any of Carolina’s goalies will be selected, but they have to prepare for the loss of a player regardless. This prompts the questions of who is starting and who is even staying in net for next season?
Long-time Caniacs must be wondering if this is the end of veteran Cam Ward’s Hurricane tenure. Ward is the last remaining player from Carolina’s only Stanley Cup and his starting role has not been questioned in his 11-year career. Ward will most likely be handing the reigns to Darling after this season when he becomes a free agent in 2018.
Ward would be a perfect teacher for Darling, as he has seen anything and everything in his career. He will most likely ease Darling into the starting role throughout the season, but it would make sense for Darling to take over the starting spot by the end.
This could cause some major friction among the team and could even rustle the feathers of fans, depending on the decision. At the end of the day, nobody wants to see Ward or Lack go to another team, but nobody wants to see the talents of Darling slip away to the competition either. Ward was probably a big part of this whole trade and must have been on board with the idea of giving up his spot.
Ron Francis and company must consider all angles when it comes to next season’s net minder. Raleigh’s faithful will wait with bated breath as this develops through summer training. What happens in this position will define the team for not only next season but for the foreseeable future.
We may very well be seeing the end of an era for Carolina, which is a difficult thought to imagine. This new team is showing many signs of promise, and Darling may be another piece to help the Hurricanes taste the playoff hockey they have so desperately missed.