The Chicago Blackhawks pulled the trigger on their inevitable goalie shakeup Friday by trading Scott Darling to the Carolina Hurricanes. The team knew it couldn’t keep both Darling and Corey Crawford next season given its salary cap situation, and didn’t waste any time recouping a third-round pick for someone who can hit free agency on July 1.
It’s a relatively small move in a vacuum, trading a backup goalie for a mid-round pick. But for the Blackhawks, it’s a major signal of where this summer might go by removing one of the biggest options off the table.