There is a lot to be said about the Carolina Hurricanes and their goaltending from 2010 to 2018. Cam Ward remained a staple in the lineup, while the revolving door to be his backup kept turning year after year. The Canes thought they'd found their answer in Scott Darling when they traded for him in 2017. As we'll see, that's not how history remembers it.
Darling's is a story of massive trials and tribulations to reach the NHL. Suffering from social anxiety, his abuse of alcohol in college led to three suspensions in 16 months and his being kicked off the University of Maine's team in his sophomore year. While he was drafted by the Coyotes in 2007, Darling had to work his way back through the ranks to earn his chance.
Eventually, Darling turned his life around, earning a chance with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. He finally signed his first NHL deal in 2014, agreeing to a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. His sample size in 2014-15 was small, but Darling posted a 9-4-0 record, a .936 save percentage, and a 1.95 GAA in 14 games.
His impressive run continued into Chicago's opening series with Nashville. In Game 1, Darling relieved Corey Crawford after the Hawks' starter allowed three goals in the first period. Darling made 42 saves in relief as Chicago came back to win Game 1, 4-3, in overtime. He won the next two as well, but a loss in Game 4 and a tough start to Game 5 would be his last appearances of the season.
Darling played two more seasons in Chicago, putting up very good numbers, largely in a backup capacity. He finished his time in The Second City with 39 wins in 75 games, a .923 save percentage, and a 2.37 GAA. With his contract expiring at the end of the 2016-17 season, Chicago sent his signing rights to the Hurricanes for a 3rd-round pick in 2017.
Darling struggled in Carolina, failing to reclaim his glory from Chicago
After the Hurricanes signed Darling to a four-year, $16.6 million contract, Yahoo Sports' Greg Wyshynski wrote a headline that is hilarious in hindsight. His article was titled "Scott Darling signs a four-year deal to save Hurricanes' goaltending". It's a hilarious airball, considering what was about to come in 2017-18.
As Cam Ward entered the final year of his two-year extension with the Hurricanes, Head Coach Bill Peters did his best to platoon his goalies. As the only two goalies to suit up for the Canes that season, Ward (42) and Darling (40) nearly split the starts, with each appearing 43 times. The issue was that Ward was far better than Darling in just about every category.
Playing the most games of his career, Darling finished with a sub-.900, 3.00+ GAA for the first time in his career while winning just 13 games. While Ward wasn't nearly as good as he'd been at his peak, the veteran kept the team above .500 at the end of the season. The goaltending wasn't the entire issue, with the offense finishing near the bottom of the league, too.
Darling looked poised to enter the 2018-19 season in a good spot, alongside newly signed Petr Mrazek. An injury in the team's final preseason game forced him to start the season on IR. Not to sound cruel, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise. The team, needing a backup, claimed Curtis McElhinney off waivers to begin the season behind Mrazek. In a way, maybe Wyshynski was right.
After a conditioning stint in Charlotte, Darling returned to the lineup in late October. A month later, the team placed him on waivers. Outside of one more December start, a 6-5 shootout loss to Washington, Darling's time as a Hurricane had come to an end. His 2-4-2 record was backed by numbers even worse than the season prior.
The Hurricanes still got something out of this
After his game failed to rebound in Charlotte, Darling took a leave of absence from the Checkers in February. This, effectively, served as the end of his time with the organization. The team traded him to the Florida Panthers during the offseason, along with a 6th-round pick, and acquired James Reimer, who platooned with Mrazek for the next two seasons.
The Panthers bought out the final two years of Darling's deal, allowing him to sign in Austria. Still, his game remained below-average. He returned to North America when the pandemic began and tried to make another run with PTOs in the AHL. He made one appearance for Rockford in 2020-21, allowing five goals before being released from his tryout and retiring from hockey.
It's easy to remember Darling's bad times as a Hurricane. There's one particular goal he allowed to Mika Zibanejad that stands out. However, Darling had good moments, too. He fought from the very bottom to get to where he could contribute in the NHL. His time in Chicago was far better, evidenced by a Stanley Cup victory. The Canes were confident it was a fit. They were wrong. It happens.