The Carolina Hurricanes acquired goaltender Scott Darling from the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday in exchange for a third-round pick in this year’s draft.
The Hurricanes will have exclusive negotiating rights with Darling, a former University of Maine goaltender, until July 1, when the netminder will become an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t sign before then.
The third-round pick was previously acquired by Carolina from the Ottawa Senators. He played at UMaine during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.
“Scott had a very successful season in Chicago and was a big part of the Blackhawks finishing with the best record in the Western Conference,” Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis said. “He played a critical role on Chicago’s 2015 championship team.”
Darling, 28, went 18-5-5 with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in 32 games for Chicago in 2016-17. His save percentage ranked tied for fourth among all NHL goaltenders who started more than 25 games this season.
“We could count on Scott in any situation as he was always reliable,” Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman. “We appreciate his contributions to the Blackhawks organization — including a Stanley Cup championship team — and we wish him well as he continues his career in Carolina.”