When the Carolina Hurricanes traded for goalie Scott Darling, general manger Ron Francis said he hoped having him signed to a new contract sooner rather than later.
There were no guarantees. The Canes had acquired Darling’s negotiating rights from the Chicago Blackhawks for a third-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft. Darling was due to come an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and had the option of waiting and seeing what he was worth on the open market.
But a week after the trade, Darling was signed. The Canes announced Friday that Darling had agreed to a four-year, $16.