Rumor: Carolina to Buy Out Scott Darling

[Braunbaer]

Decent move after McBackup stole the starting position before game 3 of the ECF.

 

[ManwithNoIdentity]

Any chance he gets a one way, one year deal?

 

[MinJaBen]

As I said we know he can't be a starter and that's been proven, but if he landed in a place like Toronto where there is an established starter that's fine.

Scott Darling can be an NHL backup we know it we have seen it it wasn't that long ago you could argue he was the best backup in the NHL.

I don't need him to play 65 games

at most I need 20

He’s not good enough at this point to be a backup in the AHL. We know because we tried and he was awful there, too. Behind the best AHL team this year.




That said, go right ahead....the boards will be a more entertaining place should the Leafs do that.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Not surprising and really reasonable and only option for Canes at this point

I do hope Hawks consider bringing him back for Rockford and see if they can help him rediscover his game. If not at the very least being back near family and friends should be good for him

He and Steeger can provide valuable veteran experience to team on ice and in locker room

 

[Jets]

Seems like a nice guy, hopefully something sticks for him

Yeah, personality wise he’s a real darling.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Smart move.

I can't believe they signed him to that ridiculous contract to begin with. He's a beer league goalie.

Location, location, location. Or, in sports, timing, timing, timing. GMs are desperate for talent. The 3 years prior to going to Carolina, he put up decent enough numbers. In a backup role, but GMs are looking for any advantage. If they hit on a guy like Darling, they look like a smart GM.

 

[Del Preston]

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

I'm not really rooting for Darling at this point.

I know he had/has demons and I have a lot of empathy for that. But I listened to his interview on Spittin' Chiclets a few months ago.

He didn't want to go into details, but we all know that he basically bottomed out and then recovered.

But the fact that he reaches his pinnacle, signs a big deal with the Canes, and then shows up out of shape to the first training camp?

There are a lot of people with compelling stories who would love to be an NHL goaltender. What he did kind of seems like a betrayal of an organization that believed in you.

 

[Name Nameless]

He doesn't have a full NMC? He can be sent down, yes?

Don't understand why they just don't send him down then. Shaves one mill off the cap hit, and they get it done faster. Seems like they have decent cap-space, and the difference- although it gives 1 mill higher cap hit for the first two seasons- is, then it is over.

 

[Nickmo82]

As a Rangers fan, this saddens me.

 

[Name Nameless]

Just another question, curious: will buy-out money be paid under a lockout?

 

[HawkeyTalkMan]

Smart move.

I can't believe they signed him to that ridiculous contract to begin with. He's a beer league goalie.

He literally was playing beer league caliber before Chicago signed him. It was a real bonehead move by him and whoever was advising him to chase the money in Carolina. He had a real good thing with the Hawks and he could have stayed to help backstop a good team at the time and be close to home. But he chased the money too fast and now it might come at the cost of ending his NHL career. He abandoned a great support system and I hope he enjoys the money, but at this point that's all he has to show for it. A team got to the conference finals despite him and felt they were better dumping him. I don't think he was even playing in Charlotte once he got sent down right?

You just hope this was a horrible chain reaction of bad decisions that ends his playing career in the matter of months

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I'm not really rooting for Darling at this point.

I know he had/has demons and I have a lot of empathy for that. But I listened to his interview on Spittin' Chiclets a few months ago.

He didn't want to go into details, but we all know that he basically bottomed out and then recovered.

But the fact that he reaches his pinnacle, signs a big deal with the Canes, and then shows up out of shape to the first training camp?

There are a lot of people with compelling stories who would love to be an NHL goaltender. What he did kind of seems like a betrayal of an organization that believed in you.

It absolutely was a betrayal. But the thing is, he owned up to it, and worked really hard this past off-season. The organization kept a close eye on him, gave him all the encouragement, support, and help he could ask for.

By all accounts, this year was supposed to be his redemption story. The organization was still expecting him to be the starter they needed him to be going into this year.

But I think the damage was already done. You don't have a season like he did that first year and have the players suddenly trust you again. Everyone could tell there was still a lot of distrust in Darling's ability to make a save and the players played like it throughout the year.

Not really a coincidence that once we decided to fully commit to Mrazek/McBackup, the team improved as a whole.

 

[General Disarray]

It was a fair gamble at the time. Grubaurer, Jones, Talbot (for a bit), Raanta were in similar boats and worked out. Sucks for him/them he couldn't do it.

 

[Chrispy]

He doesn't have a full NMC? He can be sent down, yes?

Don't understand why they just don't send him down then. Shaves one mill off the cap hit, and they get it done faster. Seems like they have decent cap-space, and the difference- although it gives 1 mill higher cap hit for the first two seasons- is, then it is over.

This only makes sense if you think most or all of the 20-21 season will be lost to a work stoppage. If not, the Canes pay 2/3 of the remaining in both real money and cap hit spread out over 4 years.

It’s worth taking a $1.18M hit in 21-22 and 22-23 to save almost $3M off next years real payroll and almost $2M off the 20-21 real payroll.

 

[StreetHawk]

Taking a chance on Darling was fine at the time. He was considered one of the better available goaltenders at the time, and there was all the talk about how he was ready to be a starter and just needed the opportunity.

The mistake was signing him to a long-term deal immediately, before he even so much as played a game in their uniform.

Now obviously, they couldn't have expected Darling to handle the transition out of Chicago so poorly (between showing up to camp out of shape and other less verifiable rumors), but it would have been so much better to give him a short "show me" type deal.

He was a ufa. He was not going to just take a 2 year deal. The team that offered him term would have been the one to land him.

That’s how free agency works.

Just that for goalies since they come into the league at 22-24 they sometimes don’t get as many games to showcase themselves and for some who are serving as backups they don’t get the chance to run with the net for a long stretch so it’s a leap of faith by a team interested in signing them.

 

[garnetpalmetto]

He literally was playing beer league caliber before Chicago signed him. It was a real bonehead move by him and whoever was advising him to chase the money in Carolina. He had a real good thing with the Hawks and he could have stayed to help backstop a good team at the time and be close to home. But he chased the money too fast and now it might come at the cost of ending his NHL career. He abandoned a great support system and I hope he enjoys the money, but at this point that's all he has to show for it. A team got to the conference finals despite him and felt they were better dumping him. I don't think he was even playing in Charlotte once he got sent down right?

You just hope this was a horrible chain reaction of bad decisions that ends his playing career in the matter of months

He was sent down to Charlotte on 11/29 and went on personal leave on 2/10. In that time he played in 14 games and amounted a 5-8-0 record, 3.40 GAA, and .882 save percentage.

 

[Ocoee]

He literally was playing beer league caliber before Chicago signed him. It was a real bonehead move by him and whoever was advising him to chase the money in Carolina. He had a real good thing with the Hawks and he could have stayed to help backstop a good team at the time and be close to home. But he chased the money too fast and now it might come at the cost of ending his NHL career. He abandoned a great support system and I hope he enjoys the money, but at this point that's all he has to show for it. A team got to the conference finals despite him and felt they were better dumping him. I don't think he was even playing in Charlotte once he got sent down right?

You just hope this was a horrible chain reaction of bad decisions that ends his playing career in the matter of months

Was it really a "bonehead move" to chase the money? In his situation I would have done the same. He made sure him and his family are set for life. Sure, potentially winning a SC is great but he made the right decision.

 

[HawkeyTalkMan]

Was it really a "bonehead move" to chase the money? In his situation I would have done the same. He made sure him and his family are set for life. Sure, potentially winning a SC is great but he made the right decision.

Yes it is. It was a short term play that now likely ended his career in the NHL. You HOPE he's saving most of that money and didn't piss it away because guys like him don't typically have much of a post playing plan. He could have gone the route of a Chad Johnson type and had a long and steady career of paychecks into his late 30s if he just accepted his level of being a backup

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Didn't he help win a cup? I'd say it worked out

Funny...

 

[StreetHawk]

Yes it is. It was a short term play that now likely ended his career in the NHL. You HOPE he's saving most of that money and didn't piss it away because guys like him don't typically have much of a post playing plan. He could have gone the route of a Chad Johnson type and had a long and steady career of paychecks into his late 30s if he just accepted his level of being a backup

$16.6 million over 4 years with $9.5 million earned so far. Buyout is for the remaining $7.1 million. He still pockets another $4.7 million so he’ll get $14.2 million from Carolina. He made under $2.5 combine din his 3 prior seasons with Chicago. He’s 30 now, so there is still time for him.

He’ll have to rebuild his career in either a backup role or start in the A as a teams 3rd goalie.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Yes it is. It was a short term play that now likely ended his career in the NHL. You HOPE he's saving most of that money and didn't piss it away because guys like him don't typically have much of a post playing plan. He could have gone the route of a Chad Johnson type and had a long and steady career of paychecks into his late 30s if he just accepted his level of being a backup

Chad Johnson's earnings to date: $9.7+M

Darling's earnings to date: $11M + $4.7M buy-out.

 

[StreetHawk]

Chad Johnson's earnings to date: $9.7+M

Darling's earnings to date: $11M + $4.7M buy-out.

And Johnson is 2.5 years older. Turns 33 in June, Darling 31 in December.

Plus for Darling he was hoping for some stability. Johnson has been bouncing around from team to team for his entire career. That is draining if you have a spouse and kids.

 

[Ocoee]

Yes it is. It was a short term play that now likely ended his career in the NHL. You HOPE he's saving most of that money and didn't piss it away because guys like him don't typically have much of a post playing plan. He could have gone the route of a Chad Johnson type and had a long and steady career of paychecks into his late 30s if he just accepted his level of being a backup

There are no guarantees in his position. I would 100% make the same decision as him versus hoping I become a decent back up. Maybe he is ok with his career ending early, Him and his family are set for good. Also, no i don't hope he is saving his money. that is completely up to him and his family.

 

[Zam Boni]

Yes it is. It was a short term play that now likely ended his career in the NHL. You HOPE he's saving most of that money and didn't piss it away because guys like him don't typically have much of a post playing plan. He could have gone the route of a Chad Johnson type and had a long and steady career of paychecks into his late 30s if he just accepted his level of being a backup

He also could have suffered a career ending injury in his third game and not being able to sign another contract at all.
In the real world, you take the money for finacial security for yourself and your family.