Hurricanes Place Scott Darling and Valentin Zykov on Waivers

The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Thursday that the club is putting goalie Scott Darling and forward Valentin Zykov on waivers with the intent to assign them to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

All 30 NHL teams will now have the opportunity to put in a waiver claim on the two players.

Since having his rights traded to the Hurricanes in April of 2017, Darling has never lived up to the high expectations that were placed on him. He never became the starting goalie that the team needed and failed to form any sense of consistency. He has still yet to win consecutive starts with the Hurricanes.

After a well-documented offseason which saw him stay in Raleigh, set up his life in the area, and train with team strength and conditioning coach Bill Burniston, it looked like Darling might have finally been on track and ready to bounce back. Then, in the final game of Carolina’s preseason schedule, Darling suffered a lower-body injury which kept him out for a month.

Upon returning, we saw the same Scott Darling that we had seen in 2017-18. He had flashes of excellence, coupled with flashes of incompetence. Finally, after Darling allowed eight goals on 43 shots in consecutive starts against the Blue Jackets and Islanders, the Canes have decided to take action on their three-headed goalie situation.

Last year’s AHL goal-scoring king, Valentin Zykov, has gotten off to a rough start in his first NHL season. After being in and out of the lineup through the first month of the season, he was assigned to the Checkers on a conditioning stint in November.

Zykov had just three assists in 13 games with the Hurricanes this season after recording seven points in ten games with the club last season. He was signed to a two-year, one-way contract extension over the summer.

The news release from the team is below:

RALEIGH, NC - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has placed goaltender Scott Darling and forward Valentin Zykov on waivers for the purpose of reassignment.

Darling, 29, has appeared in seven games for Carolina this season, going 2-4-1 with a 3.14 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. The Newport News, VA, native has a record of 15-25-8 with a 3.17 goals-agaisnt average and .889 save percentage since being acquired by the Hurricanes from the Chicago Blackhawks on April 29, 2017.

Zykov, 23, has appeared in 13 games with the Hurricanes this season, earning one assist. Acquired from Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2016, the St. Petersburg, Russia, native has totaled 11 points (4g, 7a) in 25 career NHL games with Carolina.