Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Scott Darling

Snapshots: Van Riemsdyk, Komorov, Lehner, Mrazek, Brodziak

at CDT | by 6 Comments

While the free agent market is escalating fast as the window opens tomorrow, the bidding war that surrounds unrestricted free agent center James van Riemsdyk has increased in the last few hours. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger, who tallied a career-high 36 goals last year, is being heavily courted by several teams. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Tweet link) that nothing is close yet and the free agent is still deliberating and hasn’t narrowed down his list beyond a handful of teams.

Regardless, optimism is abound as Arizona Sports 98.7 Sports host John Gambadoro (Tweet link) writes that the Arizona Coyotes are aggressively in the mix for van Riemsdyk and could get an answer as soon as tonight as to where the free agent will sign. AZ Sports Craig Morgan (Tweet link) adds that there is optimism that the Coyotes are a serious contender. The Athletic’s James Mirtle writes (Tweet link) that the Buffalo Sabres are also pushing hard for van Riemsdyk and it looks like the veteran sniper could break the bank with his deal.

  • The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (Tweet link) writes the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers are both interested in unrestricted free agent Leo Komarov. The former Toronto Maple Leafs’ center had a down year as the 31-year-old scored just seven goals and 19 points in 74 games. The veteran instigator is coming off a four-year, $11.8MM deal that he signed back in 2014.
  • With the goaltending market already spinning at high speeds, the Carolina Hurricanes must sort out their goaltending situation quickly, according to Chip Alexander of the News & Observer. With backup Cam Ward expected to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks and the struggles that surrounded starter Scott Darling last year, the team must find someone who can share duties with Darling, especially if he struggles for a second-straight year. Alexander writes the team has shown interest in former starters Robin Lehner and Petr Mrazek, both goalies who were not given qualifying offers earlier this week.
  • Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that while there are reports that Blues’ unrestricted free agent Kyle Brodziak is close to signing a deal with the Edmonton Oilers, the Blues are still in the mix to re-sign their veteran center. The 34-year-old center played three years in St. Louis and posted his best numbers yet, tallying 10 goals and 33 points.

 

Hurricanes Notes: Free Agents, Darling, Skinner, Tavares

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Carolina Hurricanes have already made some noise this off-season, acquiring Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and Adam Fox from the Calgary Flames for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, but what else the team plans to do this summer remains a mystery. In speaking with Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, GM Don Waddell indicates that they may simply stick with the status quo for now. Waddell confirmed that the team is not pursuing contracts with pending unrestricted free agents Cam Ward, Derek Ryan, and Lee Stempniak and expect all three to hit the open market on July 1st. Ward, the Hurricane’s long-time goalie, is rumored to be headed to the Chicago Blackhawks, while Ryan is expected to re-join former Carolina coach Bill Peters and his recently-traded teammates in Calgary. Stempniak’s name has not drawn much attention so far this off-season, as the veteran struggled in 2017-18 with nine points in 37 games. Waddell did not discuss recently non-qualified free agent forward Joakim Nordstrom, likely implying that they are moving on from him as well. Waddell also did not offer any updates on negotiations with restricted free agents Trevor van Riemsdyk, Lucas Wallmark, and Valentin Zykov.

  • Waddell did state that the team has no plans to move goalie Scott Darling and are committed to having him on the roster moving forward. The 29-year-old struggled in his first year with Carolina after signing a long-term contract last summer, but the team hopes that his second season as a starter will go smoother. However, Carolina is looking to add a goalie in free agency and have spoken to upwards of six candidates already. The question remains what type of goalie they are looking to bring in. A starter to compete with Darling could look like Robin Lehner, Kari Lehtonen, or Jaroslav Halak, while a steady backup could be Ondrej Pavelec, Chad Johnson, or a reunion with Anton Khudobin.
  • As of now, there is no imminent trade involving forward Jeff Skinner. Skinner’s name has been one of the hottest on the rumor mill and many speculated that the Los Angeles Kings signing Ilya Kovalchuk could be the domino that would lead Skinner to being dealt to a team that missed out on the sharp-shooting veteran. Instead, Waddell says that talks with other teams have been ongoing and they have seen some good offers, but haven’t been “comfortable” with accepting any of them. One has to wonder that if they could pull off a trade as big as the one during draft weekend but aren’t comfortable with “good” offers for Skinner, if they are even looking to trade the talented winger at all.
  • For any ’Canes fans out there still holding out hope that Carolina was a secret seventh team in on the John Tavares sweepstakes, Waddell confirmed that he has had no contact whatsoever with Tavares’ camp. The Hurricanes do have more than enough cap space to add a Tavares though, so perhaps Waddell will be active in free agency after all, but focused on other big names.

Chicago Blackhawks Discussed Justin Faulk, Scott Darling

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks need to find a way to get back to the playoffs next season, or risk wasting another year of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews while they are still effective. Though there is another wave of talent coming, the Blackhawks live and die with their two superstar forwards and still believe that their championship window is open.

To that end, Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that the team has spoken with the Carolina Hurricanes about defenseman Justin Faulk and former Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling. The former is expected to be on the market as the Hurricanes look to cash in on some of their defensive assets, while the latter was a disaster in his first season in Carolina and could be on the way out.

Faulk, 26, is signed for two more seasons at a $4.83MM cap hit but actually carries a salary of $6MM each year. The Blackhawks can certainly afford the bump in salary relative to cap hit, while the Hurricanes aren’t quite as flush with cash—historically at least, new owner Tom Dundon could have changed that.

The right-handed defenseman would fit perfectly into Chicago’s blue line, which struggled to create offense this season and has few reliable options on the right side now that Brent Seabrook has started his decline. Faulk is an excellent offensive player that can drive possession and score goals in all situations, something that could help take some of the pressure off of Duncan Keith, who even in arguably the worst offensive season of his career easily led all Blackhawk defenders in points.

Darling on the other hand would return to Chicago with a contract too big for his performance last season, but with the skills to still help the team in net. With Corey Crawford struggling through injury and the backup position not exactly stable, his presence could help them find some consistency should he bounce back next season.

The Hurricanes, for what it’s worth, have identified goaltending as a place for change this summer and admitted that bringing back the same two netminders would be foolish. Cam Ward is expected to reach unrestricted free agency in a few weeks, but Darling could also find himself on the way out if Carolina can land a true starting goaltender at some point.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Poll: Who Is The Most Likely To Be Bought Out?

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The NHL buyout period opens later this month, and teams will have to make tough decisions on some of their overpaid former-stars. Rory Boylen of Sportsnet has been all over potential buyout candidates throughout the season, and has now released his list of the top eight names that could see a paycheck start coming to not play for their current teams.

Last year we saw Simon Despres, Matt Greene, Antti Niemi, Benoit Pouliot, Jussi Jokinen, Lance Bouma, Ryan Murphy, Jimmy Hayes, Mark Stuart, Mike Cammalleri, and Devante Smith-Pelly bought out in the first window, and a similar number of players could find themselves on unconditional waivers this time around.

We’ve already heard about Matt Moulson’s expected buy out from the Buffalo Sabres, but Boylen throws eight different names into the mix. Several of them were once key parts of their franchise, while others never turned into the player they were expected to become.

Who do you think is the most likely player to be bought out when the window opens on the later of 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final, or June 15th. Cast your vote below and make sure to leave an explanation in the comment section. For more information on how much each team would have to pay, check out Boylen’s excellent breakdown or head over to CapFriendly’s handy calculator.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Carolina Hurricanes “Can’t Bring The Same Two Guys Back” In Goal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Carolina Hurricanes went out in the spring of 2017 and brought in who they believed could be the answer in goal. After a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Hurricanes signed Scott Darling to a four-year $16.6MM contract to be the team’s starting netminder. Unfortunately, Darling never really found his game in Carolina and ended up with a disastrous .888 save percentage on the season. Cam Ward, the tenured backup, didn’t perform much better with an .906 save percentage, leading many to question how the team would go about fixing the problem this summer.

With Ward scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July, new GM Don Waddell has made it clear that he’s in the market for an upgrade in net. On Sirius XM NHL Network today, Waddell explained the Hurricanes’ position:

We know we have to make change there, we know we can’t bring the same two guys back. Scott Darling came to camp last year probably not in the best condition, and we never got him to where he was in Chicago…

…we feel there is still something there, we’re going to do everything we can to put Scott in the best situation to have success. In saying that we are in the market, and I’ve made it very clear to all the GMs I’ve talked to that we are going to try to address our goaltending. If there is a guy that makes sense for us out there, we certainly are going to look to make that move.

It’s not clear who the Hurricanes would be targeting, but Waddell was open that changes will be made. When asked about Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk—two players who have drawn plenty of interest and speculation—potentially being on the block, Waddell noted that he’s in discussions about not only those players but several others.

While nothing seems imminent in Carolina, there is a big offseason brewing as they try to reinvigorate the franchise. After winning the second-overall pick in the draft lottery the team will likely be able to push Andrei Svechnikov (or perhaps one of the other top players) directly into their lineup and try to reestablish themselves as a contender in the Metropolitan Division. To do that they need goaltending, but they certainly haven’t overlooked that fact.

U.S. Announces 2018 Men’s National Roster

at CDT | by 1 Comment

USA Hockey announced their initial 2018 national roster for the upcoming 2018 IIHF Men’s World Championships on May 4-20 in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark, headlined by Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.

Kane, who announced he’d play this summer after his Blackhawks season ended with no trip to the playoffs, represented the U.S. twice in both the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games, leading the U.S. to a silver medal in 2010, was named the captain of this team back on April 9. He will be joined by four others with World Championship experience, including Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, New York Islanders forward Anders Lee, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy and the Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau.

The one interesting roster note is the addition of 18-year-old Quinn Hughes, who is considered to be a likely top-10 pick in the upcoming NHL draft. The full roster can be found below:

G Scott Darling
G Keith Kincaid
G Charlie Lindgren

D Will Butcher
D Quinn Hughes
D Nick Jensen
D Alec Martinez
D Connor Murphy
D Jordan Oesterle
D Neal Pionk

F Cam Atkinson
F Blake Coleman
F Alex DeBrincat
F Johnny Gaudreau
F Brian Gibbons
F Patrick Kane
F Chris Kreider
F Dylan Larkin
F Anders Lee
F Sonny Milano
F Derek Ryan
F Tage Thompson
F Colin White

 

Aaron Dell: “The Next Scott Darling”

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Much was said yesterday about San Jose Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell, after Pierre LeBrun profiled him on the latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN. LeBrun compared him to a certain former Chicago Blackhawks netminder:

Aaron DellGenerating some interest I think, or at least people are taking notice. Could he be this year’s Scott Darling? The guy that goes from backup to number one. A year ago Darling was entering his UFA year getting a lot of interest. Aaron Dell, also, UFA on July 1st. Now, do the Sharks use him as trade bait closer to the February 26th trade deadline, or do they think about re-signing him as insurance to Martin Jones. We don’t know that yet.

At one point in the offseason, being labeled as this year’s Darling would have been a compliment. After all, Darling hit a big payday in Carolina when he signed a four-year, $16.6MM contract to become their new starter. It was a huge raise for a player who’d only been on a one-way contract for a single season, and had never made more than $600K in a year.

The comparison isn’t even fair on its face. Darling had been the backup in Chicago for three seasons, playing in 75 regular season games with the Blackhawks and posting a superb .923 save percentage. That also came with a five-game stint in the playoffs during Chicago’s 2015 Stanley Cup run where he admirably held the fort and went 4-1 with a .936. Darling had basically never shown anything but an exceptional ability at the NHL level, even if he did come by it later in his professional career.

Dell on the other hand has just 31 appearances under his belt in San Jose, and though so far they’ve been incredible—including a league-leading .939 save percentage this season—it’s hard to crown him a starting goaltender with such little experience.

Scott DarlingAnyone looking to place the mantle of “starter” on him should do so with caution, and you don’t have to look much further than the comparison LeBrun makes. Darling has been one of the biggest disappointments in Carolina this season, posting an .899 save percentage and allowing some unfortunate goals in the process. If he can’t get his game back together, that contract could look awfully bad.

The thing is, these aren’t improving goaltenders. Darling will turn 29 in a week’s time, and Dell isn’t far behind with a birthday in March. They’ve put on solid work as backup goaltenders, but starting in the NHL on a nightly basis is a different game entirely.

It’s true, that San Jose could use Dell as solid trade bait as the season progresses. We’ve examined recently how bad the goaltending market is right now, and that shiny save percentage should entice just about anyone looking for depth at the position. But come July 1st, signing him to a starter-type contract will be a risk. It’s not clear anyone will be willing to take it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2017-18 Primer: Carolina Hurricanes

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With the NHL season now underway, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come.  Today, we focus on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Last Season: 36-31-15 record (87 points), seventh in Metropolitan Division (missed playoffs)

Remaining Cap Space: $14.57MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Justin Williams (free agency, Washington), F Marcus Kruger (trade, Vegas), D Trevor van Riemsdyk (trade, Vegas), G Scott Darling (trade, Chicago)

Key Departures: F Jay McClement (free agency, unsigned), D Matt Tennyson (free agency, Buffalo), G Eddie Lack (trade, Calgary)

[Related: Hurricanes Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Sebastian AhoPlayer To Watch: F Sebastian Aho – The Carolina Hurricanes are heading into the season with several exciting rookies this season in Martin Necas, Haydn Fleury and Janne Kuokkanen. All three have impressed in training camp, but for all their youth and flash you shouldn’t forget about last year’s version.

Aho turned 20 years old just this summer and already has a season under his belt with 24 goals and 49 points. For all the ink that was spilled last year over Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and other rookies, Aho quietly put together an outstanding season at age-19 in Carolina and could explode into super-stardom this year. Remember that this is a second-round pick who jumped right from the Finnish professional ranks to the NHL, and clearly still has room to grow.

The Hurricanes will have a fun, up tempo offense this year with speed on every line, but look no further than the top unit with Aho, Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm as one of the best in the league. Each brings a different skill to the table, and should be able to dominate teams at even strength at both ends of the rink. When you think that Staal—who was recently named co-captain with Justin Faulk—is one of the elder statesmen on the team at 29, it starts to show just how much potential this squad still has.

Key Storyline: The Hurricanes are a sexy pick to make the playoffs this year. Everything written above would have you believe that they’ll easily surpass their 87-point total from last year and glide into the postseason on a barrage of goals. That could happen, but it will still take a lot of work to overcome the daunting task that is the Metropolitan Division.

The reigning Stanley Cup Champions are standing in their way in Pittsburgh, as are three other 100-point teams from a year ago in New York, Washington and Columbus. New Jersey, Philadelphia and the other New York (sorry, Islanders’ fans) aren’t going to lay down, and the Atlantic looks improved and ready to compete for both wild card spots. The Hurricanes will need everything to go right for them to climb this mountain, and a lot of it starts in net.

When the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006 it was on the back of a rookie goaltender who stole the job and earned himself the Conn Smythe trophy in the process. Now Carolina will hope another goaltender will steal Cam Ward’s job and run with it. While Scott Darling isn’t the 21-year old upstart Ward was in 2005-06, he’s being given his first chance to earn a real starting position in the NHL and is ready to prove that he’s more than just a backup.

Fighting his way up from the Southern Professional Hockey League, Darling has taken a step forward at every level and recorded an impressive .923 save percentage behind Corey Crawford in Chicago. If he can bring that same level to the Hurricanes every night, they’ll be a team to be reckoned with. Luckily, Darling will have the experience of Ward to help him along the way, in what could be the veteran netminder’s final season in Carolina.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Cam Ward Accepting Of New Role In Carolina

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Ever since 21-year-old rookie Cam Ward led the Carolina Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup title in 2006, he has been the go-to guy in the Carolina net. That year, Ward shocked the world with a .920 save percentage and 2.14 goals against average in 23 playoff games en route to the championship and the Conn Smythe Trophy, despite having only 28 regular season NHL games under his belt prior. In 2011, Ward was an All-Star and even made a run at the Vezina Trophy behind a resume of the league’s most games played and saves and a .922 save percentage. Altogether, Ward is in the top ten among all active goaltenders in wins, saves, and point shares, signalling the important role that he has played in Raleigh for the better part of this century.

However, in recent years the story has been quite different. After posting five 30-win seasons in his first six full seasons, Ward has failed to reach that mark every year since before the 2012 lockout. His save percentage has held steady at below .910 in that span, while his quality starts percentage has topped 50% only once in the last five years. In fact, in the last five years, few goalies with a “starter” amount of games played have performed worse than Ward. For that reason, the Hurricanes constant has accepted that he is no longer the top net minder in Carolina. In speaking with Chip Alexander of the News & Observer, Ward acknowledged that the team’s acquisition of and extension of former Chicago Blackhawks backup Scott Darling likely signals the end of his time as a starter for the ’Canes. The young, up-and-coming team is loaded with talent and will be for years to come, but have been held back by their goaltending. By all accounts, Darling has been one of the best backups in the league the past couple of campaigns and is ready for a starting role. And so, Ward is ready for a backup role:

“I’m realistic… I understand the situation. I know he was brought in here to sign a four-year deal for pretty good money not to be a backup.

“I know where I am in my career. … Certainly I’m a competitive guy and I still want to be able to play and I’ll do whatever I can to earn that ice time, but I’m hopeful he can make that next step. He deserves that.”

“I thought it was a great move… I’ve heard nothing but good things about Scott Darling. .. I look at a guy who’s ready to take that next step.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be here as long as I have and to be a No. 1 guy for over a decade, so I think I have something to offer to him. I think I can offer him my experience and give him the support he needs to make that next step.”

Ward certainly seems to be taking his demotion well and that could be the key to helping Darling develop into a star keeper. In the past, the Hurricanes have attempted to challenge Ward by investing in promising backups like Justin Peters, Anton Khudobin, and most recently Eddie Lack – traded this summer to the Calgary Flames – and giving those players substantial ice time. However, in each case the competitive Ward was able to hold on to his job despite just middling play, as the trio all failed to play up to expectations and embrace the position battle. Now 33, Ward is entering the twilight of his career and, though he won his Cup and Conn Smythe in year one, has accomplished so much as the franchise leader in every goaltending category for the ’Canes. For the first time, Ward seems open to embracing his mentor role and playing second fiddle to the up-and-coming Darling. That guidance and veteran wisdom could do wonders for the young goalie, which in turn could help bring Carolina back into Cup consideration for the first time in almost a decade.

With that said, the ultra-competitive Ward isn’t about to stop working hard. He has seen young backups come and go before and, while this four-year, $16.6MM contract for Darling is a step above the rest, Ward will surely be ready to take back the reigns if need be. Should that happen, at least Carolina fans can rest easy knowing exactly what to expect from the career Hurricane.

NHL Notes: Raanta, Darling, Tolvanen, Duclair

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With Antti Raanta and Scott Darling attempting to make the conversion from backup to starter this season, many believe that both will be successful. However, history suggests that’s not always the case. NBC Sports Adam Gretz writes that the best comparable for both is Cam Talbot, who was hugely successful as a backup for the New York Rangers and continued that success as a starter after being traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

Gretz writes that while Talbot is the perfect comparison, there are also plenty of goaltenders who have failed to make the full-time conversion over the last 15 years, including a few names that many have long forgotten. Eddie Lack and Anton Khudobin each struggled as starters for Carolina which forced them to go out and get Darling in the first place, while other goaltenders such as Dan Ellis, Alex Stalock, Ben Scrivens and Vesa Toskala didn’t fare particularly well.

The hope is that both Raanta and Darling are more proven as backups than a lot of the others and are more NHL ready to handle a larger workload. Raanta and Darling’s success will be critical for the team to take their team to the next step.

  • Nashville Predators prospect Eeli Tolvanen, the team’s first-round pick in the 2017 draft, signed a three-year deal to play for Jokerit Helsinki of the KHL earlier in the offseason. International hockey writer Igor Eronko tweeted Tolvanen told him that his second year is a player’s option and if he has a good year, he will come stateside next year. It’s only been three games for Tolvanen, but he is currently third in the league in scoring with six points and is third in the league in shots taken.
  • Gretz, in another story writes this is a critical year for Arizona’s Anthony Duclair. The 22-year-old wing got the city excited when he posted a 20-goal season two years ago, but came crashing back to earth last year after a five-goal output. Gretz points out that he scored on 19 percent of his shots in the 2015-16 season, which is extremely high and not sustainable over the long-term. Last year, Duclair’s numbers dropped to six percent. The still restricted free agent has not come to terms with the team.
AJAX Loader
Load More Posts

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top