Carolina Hurricanes: 5 options better than Scott Darling

Was Scott Darling the right option for the Carolina Hurricanes to go with entering the 2017-18 campaign? If not, these goalies could have been.

As the season continues to go by, the Carolina Hurricanes are getting a clearer picture of why supposed starting goalie Scott Darling is not the answer, long-term. Cam Ward is getting the bulk of the starts since the final games in December.

The real shame is that the Canes bought into Darling before he even played a single game with the franchise. Through nearly 30 games this season, Darling has less than 10 wins and a save percentage of just .892. Meanwhile, Ward is producing at his usual level between the pipes.

Ward just looks a lot better this season since Darling is not performing anywhere close to what was expected. If Darling can find his groove anytime soon, it would be a very welcome sight for every Canes fans. However, it seems like every time Darling is about to break out of his funk, he has an even worse performance in his following start.

In his time with the Chicago Blackhawks, Darling put his best foot forward, helping the Hawks bring home the 2015 Stanley Cup. But, the Canes have not received the same play from Darling that he showed while backing up Corey Crawford, and splitting time with Antti Raanta.

Moreover, there was some hope that it would just take Darling some time to get comfortable as Carolina’s starting goaltender, much like it did Raanta with the Arizona Coyotes. While Raanta is playing better with Arizona, Darling’s play has not improved at all.

The last time Darling got a start was in an eventual 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, on Jan. 21. Darling gave up three goals on eight shots in that home defeat. The hindsight of focusing on who would have been the best solution for the Canes beside Darling is starting to take effect.

Here’s 5 goaltending options that would have been better for the Carolina Hurricanes than Scott Darling.

Among all the goalies on this list, most were available through the 2017 free agent cycle, including Steve Mason of the Winnipeg Jets. While Mason is not the starting goalie for the Jets, he’s still a part of one of the best teams in the league this season.

Mason has a save percentage slightly better than Darling’s, but he also has a proven track record in the NHL. There’s no doubt that Mason is not the long-term solution for the Canes, but he is a steadier force than Darling has been through the past couple months.

If the Canes could’ve gotten the Mason that we all saw win the Calder Trophy after the 2008-09 campaign, with the Columbus Blue Jackets, or when he was an All-Star with the Philadelphia Flyers, they would be good to go. But, that’s somewhat of a pipedream at this point in Mason’s career.

The 29-year-old goaltender is inconsistent, but he has playoff experience and knows how to succeed. He’s led a team to the playoffs, pretty much by himself, as a starting goalie. That’s something Darling has not done in his NHL career.

Grabbing a true established starting goalie in the league would be an interesting move for the Canes. However, this comes back to the same problem as bringing in a goaltender like Mason, a goalie like Brian Elliott is too far into his career for what Carolina is looking for.

The Philadelphia Flyers starting goaltender is also putting together an inconsistent season, but much better than what Darling’s production has been so far. Elliott does have the Flyers in a playoff spot right now, all while posting a .908 save percentage.

Both Mason and Elliott do have save percentages below the league average, but they also both are part of squads currently in a playoff position. Another problem with Elliott that turned away a few potential suitors was his play during his time with the Calgary Flames.

Elliott was squeezed out of both Calgary and St. Louis, as the Blues now carry Jake Allen as their staring goaltender. But, Elliott does have playoff experience and gives head coach Bill Peters a much better goalie duo, with Ward, than with the way Darling is playing at this moment.

If general manager Ron Francis wanted to bring in any goalie that is well-known across the Eastern Conference, especially in Buffalo and Raleigh, that would be current Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ryan Miller.

Getting time with both the Ducks and Vancouver Canucks over the past few seasons, Miller is still a solid goalie that shows up in clutch time. He proved that to the Canes in an overtime win for the Ducks, at PNC Arena, earlier in the season.

An issue for Miller is that he is aging quick, and he’s behind one of the best young netminders in the NHL in John Gibson. Miller only has 10 starts and 13 overall apperances under his belt this season. However, those 13 appearances saw him post a save percentage of .929, along with two shutouts.

Carolina would more than welcome that type of production, especially in combination with Ward’s career experience. Moreover, bringing in Miller would allow the Canes to develop a homegrown goaltender, like Alex Nedelkjovic.

Contrary to the type of production seen from Darling since leaving Chicago, Raanta actually had a successful tenure with the Coyotes (and, formerly the New York Rangers) in the past three seasons. Arizona might actually have a franchise goalie on their hands.

Raanta has a .918 save percentage through 27 starts this season. While the Coyotes are among the worst teams in the league again, it’s by no fault of Raanta. He’s having a solid season, posting a save percentage above the league average of .913.

He’s also carrying a respectable goals against average of 2.58. Arizona just does not have the personnel required to make a playoff run anytime soon. Clayton Keller provides them with a forward to build around, and they have a goalie to build around also.

However, if the Canes had landed Raanta after his two year tenure with the Rangers, they’d be much better. Raanta did get off to a rough start this year, but got things together quick. He’s showing that he is a starting caliber goalie in the NHL.