Last Friday, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Scott Darling in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks with the intention of making the longtime backup their starting goaltender. One week later, nearly to the hour, the Canes made that intention official.
The Canes have signed Darling to a four-year, $16.6 million contract paying him an average of $4.15 million per year through the 2020-21 season. The contract is a significant increase on Darling’s $575,000 salary this past season, and is more than a million dollars higher than the salaries next season for Cam Ward ($3.