What does the future hold for Scott Darling?

Scott Darling with the Carolina Hurricanes. Credit: NHL.com

How the f*** did this happen?

The question Scott Darling repeatedly asked himself throughout his long, winding journey to the NHL.

It’s all detailed in his Players’ Tribune feature simply entitled, “Goodbye, Chicago” published on June 13^th, 2017 (which is worth a read if you have the time. https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/scott-darling-goodbye-chicago)

Less than a month earlier, on May 5^th, 2017, Darling had signed a 4 year, 16.6-million-dollar contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, after having been traded there from the Blackhawks in April.

It seemed like the perfect Cinderella fairy tale, a 6^th round pick in 2007 who worked his way up from the Louisiana IceGators of the SPHL to the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. It had never been seen in the league before.

Darling with the now defunct Mississippi River Kings of the SPHL. Credit: Mississippi River Kings

How the f*** did this happen?

Fast forward 2 years, and Darling’s back at square one, after having the final 2 years of his contract bought out by the Florida Panthers, who had acquired him from the Hurricanes for James Reimer. After a disastrous first year with the Canes, posting a 13-21 record with a 3.18 GAA, he had a similar 3.40 GAA with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL the next year.

How the f*** did this happen?

With Petr Mrazek and Curtis Mcelhinnney taking over the Carolina crease last year, the Canes went on a magical run to the eastern conference finals, renewing fan interest in the club and becoming one of the more exciting teams in the NHL. In the meantime, Darling was at home, after having taken a mental health break from the team.

How the f*** did this happen?

Now, at 30 years old, having to fight his way back to the show,

What does the future hold for Scott Darling?

In what is now known as the one of the greatest underdog stories and greatest fall from graces in professional hockey history, Scott Darling’s career seems to be in limbo, as it more a question as to whether he’s mentally prepared to return, let alone physically prepared.

It’s a similar story to that of Patrik Berglund, a former power forward for the Buffalo Sabres, who flat out left the team due to him losing interest with hockey. Surprisingly, this kind of tale isn’t that uncommon when it comes to goaltenders. Jim Carrey, Tommy Soderstrom, all future stars, who’s careers ended prematurely due to lackluster play, and lack of interest in the end. 

Jim Carrey. Credit: For the love of hockey

Tommy Soderstrom. Credit: The Goalies Archive

However, if the most recent NHL season has shown us anything, it’s that anything is possible. Robin Lehner was one of the most inspirational comeback stories in modern NHL history, posting a 2.13 GAA and 6 shutouts after he publicly announced his issues with bipolar 1 disorder, winning the Masterton trophy and even being in the conversation for the Vezina trophy.

Robin Lehner with the Bill Masterton trophy. The goaltender recently signed a 1 year, 5 million dollar deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Credit: Getty images

Going back to Darling, I think right now it comes down to him getting his mind back into things. The expectations placed on Darling were that he was going to give the Hurricanes a solid goalie in net for once, not having to rely on Cam Ward again. It was a major change from his experience in Chicago, where he was able to relax and understand that his team had his back. At that time, Chicago was one of the best, if not the best team in the NHL, meaning Darling had a strong backend supporting him.

Carolina, at least in his first year, was a different scenario. They didn’t have guys like Dougie Hamilton, while Justin Faulk and Jaccob Slavin had a lot put on their shoulders. It wasn’t the right team for him, and I think it shows that he isn’t a starting goalie.

The play that lives in infamy in Carolina.

He’s a solid goalie, but a solid backup goalie, not like Keith Kinkaid or someone similar, who struggle when facing say, more than 10 games of action, but he shouldn’t face more than 20 30 games, which, ironically, was exactly how much he played with the Blackhawks. At his core, Darling is a really talented goaltender. He covers his angles well, is positionally solid, but also flexible enough to make the odd highlight reel save. He can be calm and collected, yet also flop about when he needs to. He covers all spectrums but does that when his organization offers support.

Carolina didn’t do that, and by year 2 he wasn’t in the right state of mind. He took a break to try and get his career back on track, so,

Now what? Will he get an NHL contract?

Personally, I think Darling deserves a chance to prove himself. A lot of Hurricanes fans started ripping into him over his poor play, but in many ways, he just wasn’t the right goalie for that team. He works much better in a 2-goalie tandem, which is ironically what the Canes went with this past year. How do you think Mrazek would handle constant pressure without a solid backup behind him? Not very well, and that’s partly the reason why Detroit parted ways with him.

It’s likely the Darling wont start in the NHL, but with the right team that understands his situation and the kind of goalie he is, I could see him making a comeback, even if it is only for a year (I mean, he is 30.)

So, as we see Scott Darling back at square one, the question comes back,

“How the f*** did this happen?” he said.

However, in order to make a comeback, you can’t ask how it happened, you have to ask,

How the f*** can I fix it?