Former Hawks goalie Darling signs four-year deal with Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes signed former Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling to a four-year, $16.6-million contract on Friday. Carolina sent the Hawks a third-round draft pick in order to obtain exclusive negotiating rights with the unrestricted free agent to be, and wasted little time locking him up.

The 28-year-old Lemont native went 39-17-9 with a .923 save percentage in three seasons as the Hawks’ backup goalie. The $4.15-million annual salary is quite a raise for Darling, who made $587,500 the last two seasons with the Hawks.

“Obviously, Scott could have waited until July 1 to see what other options he might have as an unrestricted free agent,” Carolina general manager Ron Francis said in a release. “But he believes in what we are trying to do here, and we are thrilled that he is committing to the Hurricanes and to Raleigh.”