Speculation: What will Canes do at deadline?

[GoldiFox]

The only goalie the Canes have signed next year is Darling. There are a finite number of options for next year:

1) Keep Darling as backup/starter, sign Ward as starter/backup
2) Buyout Darling, sign Ward as #1, acquire a backup
3) Buyout Darling, sign Ward as backup, acquire a #1G
4) Buyout Darling, let Ward walk, acquire both starter and backup
5) Keep Darling as starter, let Ward walk, acquire backup
6) Keep Darling as backup, let Ward walk, acquire starter

In any case where they are looking for a new starter it seems to make more sense to get that guy for a test run to avoid another Darling contract. Mrazek is as good as anyone that is available next year.

I guess it comes down to whether the org sees goaltending as a problem or not. For me Darling/Ward is an area that needs to be addressed before next season starts. I think the chances of the Canes re-signing Ward are extremely high which further narrows the options. None of them will be pretty financially.

 

[JCLA]

I'm all for option 4

 

[bleedgreen]

With Ward playing as well as he did this year, depending on who’s available and factoring who will come here you have to accept the possibility Ward could be coming back.

If we really walk away from him and Mrazek for some reason signed here I’d give it the same chance everyone else would. I bet Darling stays as the backup, though like everyone else I’d be fine with him moving on. I’m just not convinced it will happen. Darlings epic collapse was unexpected, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they give him another chance in some capacity.

I have no problem letting Ward walk, I’m just not convinced there will be a better option.

 

[MinJaBen]

The only goalie the Canes have signed next year is Darling. There are a finite number of options for next year:

1) Keep Darling as backup/starter, sign Ward as starter/backup
2) Buyout Darling, sign Ward as #1, acquire a backup
3) Buyout Darling, sign Ward as backup, acquire a #1G
4) Buyout Darling, let Ward walk, acquire both starter and backup
5) Keep Darling as starter, let Ward walk, acquire backup
6) Keep Darling as backup, let Ward walk, acquire starter

In any case where they are looking for a new starter it seems to make more sense to get that guy for a test run to avoid another Darling contract. Mrazek is as good as anyone that is available next year.

I guess it comes down to whether the org sees goaltending as a problem or not. For me Darling/Ward is an area that needs to be addressed before next season starts. I think the chances of the Canes re-signing Ward are extremely high which further narrows the options. None of them will be pretty financially.

We are about to lose one option...it appears Aaron Dell is close to resigning with the Sharks. At this point, I'm resigned to us resigning Ward to a 3 year, $4M contract, keeping Darling because reasons, and watching the same garbage all over again next year as Ronnie gets that bewildered look in his eye wondering why things didn't get better.

 

[geehaad]

If the goalie of the future truly is already in the system, how impossible is it that he is on the NHL roster in 2019-2020? If that's possible, you go with a 1-year for Ward, try to make a go of it with Ward/Darling again, and pins your hopes on 2019-2020 with Darling as the backup?

Yeah, that's pretty shaky.

 

[geehaad]

I'm resigned to us resigning Ward to a 3 year, $4M contract.

What??? Two years...ok. One should suffice. Why in the world would you offer him more money and more term?

 

[bleedgreen]

That might be the cost of business, though I agree with you. We will NEED another goalie and if no one else who’s an improvement comes along Ward has us in a bad spot.

 

[Cane mutiny]

I'm upset about where we are once again this year, and disappointed that we weren't in a position to partake in the trade deadline while watching other Metro teams get better. That said, this team, even with the small trade help we could afford to make, would likely not win 4 games in the first round. So it's probably best to not waste the assets this year. I will be furious, tho, if RF does not have this team in a position to compete come next season. I think the trades he made this summer, tho sounding good at the time, were a complete disaster. You get what you pay for...hope he learned that this year, and does better next summer with a new owner.

 

[MinJaBen]

What??? Two years...ok. One should suffice. Why in the world would you offer him more money and more term?

Because this organization is "fair" and we are not going to pay our "starter" less than his backup.

 

[The Faulker 27]

With Ward playing as well as he did this year, depending on who’s available and factoring who will come here you have to accept the possibility Ward could be coming back.

If we really walk away from him and Mrazek for some reason signed here I’d give it the same chance everyone else would. I bet Darling stays as the backup, though like everyone else I’d be fine with him moving on. I’m just not convinced it will happen. Darlings epic collapse was unexpected, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they give him another chance in some capacity.

I have no problem letting Ward walk, I’m just not convinced there will be a better option.

You have to ask though what is another chance? I mean how far do you let it go 10 games, 20? We're talking about a goalie that has a current 3.08 GAA, and .889 after 34 games and likely to get worse. I just don't know that you risk icing Scott "auto-loss" Darling in a season that you sure as hell better be playoff bound. Personally, I think they will sign Ward to a 2 year deal given his play this season, and God help us if Ward gets hurt. Any extended loss of Ward with Darling filling in as starter would be Bill Paxton level game-over, man. I just don't see a way forward with Darling after this season.

 

[GoldiFox]

I’d prefer to buyout Darling, re-sign Ward to a short-term deal, and look to trade for #1. Essentially forget Darling existed and continue the search with a greater willingness to deal assets. Maybe the ability to eat a bigger contract could also help. New season might open up possibilities.

What I’d guess will happen is that they will re-sign Ward, keep Darling, and hope for the best. With the idea that Darling faltering again is an issue that could be addressed next season if it happens.

 

[bleedgreen]

You have to ask though what is another chance? I mean how far do you let it go 10 games, 20? We're talking about a goalie that has a current 3.08 GAA, and .889 after 34 games and likely to get worse. I just don't know that you risk icing Scott "auto-loss" Darling in a season that you sure as hell better be playoff bound. Personally, I think they will sign Ward to a 2 year deal given his play this season, and God help us if Ward gets hurt. Any extended loss of Ward with Darling filling in as starter would be Bill Paxton level game-over, man. I just don't see a way forward with Darling after this season.

Don’t get me wrong. Every single chance a decent scorer walks in on with space to shoot feels like it’s going in right now. I defended Darling earlier in the season because it’s natural he’d have the yips as he adjusts but I agree with the mob now that he couldn’t stop a beach ball.

I think RF is probably 50% or more in line with our opinion, he just has limited cards to play. I hope we re sign Ward for two or less as well, but if he won’t play ball without more term and there’s no one else to get RF is f***ed. Next year is the year everyone under the sun thinks we need to make the playoffs. If he goes in with Darling and Darling he can sign his own firing papers. Ward could really mess things up for us. I think he’ll sign for less term than that but we have accept the situation could get ugly for us.

 

[Cane mutiny]

The way other descent goalies have looked after coming here, I think Ward would be a Patrick Roy if on another team. At this point they will need to extend him short term at least while working it out. Hope he has another starter year or two left in those bones.

 

[MinJaBen]

What I’d guess will happen is that they will re-sign Ward, keep Darling, and hope for the best. With the idea that Darling faltering again is an issue that could be addressed next season if it happens.

This will happen, but it is the wrong way to run an organization. It should be painfully obvious to anyone (Ron Francis hopefully qualifies here) that there will be more and better options available to replace Darling over the summer than will exist once the season actually starts. If the plan is to wait, see if Darling learns hockey again, and if not replace him, then I hope Dundon first replaces Francis so we can try for a more competent person doing the replacing.

 

[Breakdowns]

Keep Ward as a backup as you know what you get from him, to get two decent goalies will be much harder than one. Buyout Darling and trade for #1 or sing #1.

 

[Wolfpuck]

Like it or not, I see the most likely scenario is Ward/Darling again next season. Ward will almost certainly be back, and I think the organization wants to give Darling at least one more season before cutting a loss.

 

[Breakdowns]

Like it or not, I see the most likely scenario is Ward/Darling again next season. Ward will almost certainly be back, and I think the organization wants to give Darling at least one more season before cutting a loss.

Doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results = Carolina Hurricanes

 

[Cane mutiny]

Like it or not, I see the most likely scenario is Ward/Darling again next season. Ward will almost certainly be back, and I think the organization wants to give Darling at least one more season before cutting a loss.

Not sure I could take another year. Would rather trade Darling (50%ret), and bring up Ned as backup next year to see how he handles it. He had a pretty good year in AHL. Would prob be at least as good as Darling has been. Meanwhile, keep looking for the opportunity to find that #1 for long term.

 

[The Faulker 27]

Like it or not, I see the most likely scenario is Ward/Darling again next season. Ward will almost certainly be back, and I think the organization wants to give Darling at least one more season before cutting a loss.

RON Y U DO DIS

 

[tarheelhockey]

At some point, Francis had to go to P.K. and convince him that Darling was the guy who was good enough to open the purse strings and make a medium-term commitment at a higher dollar figure than he had really earned to that point.

Francis is not going to turn around 8 months later and tell P.K. that Darling is so hopeless that he needs to be bought out, so that we can go out and get another expensive option to replace him.

If nothing else were holding him back, Francis undoubtedly values his job and would prefer not to die on this hill. He'll just tell Peters (or the next coach) to use Darling sparingly if necessary, because that's preferable to having a pissed off owner meddling in his decisions.

 

[My Special Purpose]

We were in a playoff position as recently as two weeks ago because Cam Ward had his best season since 2010-11. The likelihood of it happening again next season is virtually nil. Not only are we in a horrible position regarding Darling, but it would be ridiculous to think Cam could duplicate what he did this season again next season. If anything, a Darling/Ward combo next season would be *worse* than this season, because Cam can't have another career season at age 34.

So if anybody, Francis included, is expecting to go into next season with Darling/Ward and get *better* goaltending, they're high. It will almost certainly be worse, and it just cannot be an option.

 

[RodTheBawd]

Ehh... Darling can't get any worse. Ward isn't going to fall off a cliff (although, if we see a 70/30 split, he might). So a little bump from Darling with a little drop off from Ward keeps the equilibrium in check and we'll be looking at status quo.

 

[My Special Purpose]

Ehh... Darling can't get any worse. Ward isn't going to fall off a cliff (although, if we see a 70/30 split, he might). So a little bump from Darling with a little drop off from Ward keeps the equilibrium in check and we'll be looking at status quo.

That's my point. Best-case scenario is we continue to have bottom-3 goaltending. How is that acceptable?

 

[GoldiFox]

Semi-relevant to Canes search for a Goalie. John Elway (Broncos GM) today on finding his QB:

Since landing Peyton Manning in free agency in 2012, Elway has struggled to unearth and develop a quarterback. He used a second-round pick on Brock Osweiler (2012), a seventh-round selection on Trevor Siemian (2015), and traded up to get Paxton Lynch in the first round (2016). None could help buoy a championship defense.
The misses at quarterback won't deter Elway from swinging hard again.
"Believe me, I'm not done swinging and missing," Elway said. "Misses don't bother me. We've just got to figure out a way to get it right."

 

[sheriff bart]

Ehh... Darling can't get any worse. Ward isn't going to fall off a cliff (although, if we see a 70/30 split, he might). So a little bump from Darling with a little drop off from Ward keeps the equilibrium in check and we'll be looking at status quo.

Great. .896 goaltending good for 30th in the league

If I'm the owner, and that's the plan...I need a new GM