Note to Reader: This post was orignialy written by Abby Wheeler
NHL
The Misfortune Between the Pipes
We have known for years that the Carolina Hurricanes have struggled in the area of goaltending. From the days of Cam Ward after the Stanley Cup win in 2006 to today where we are carrying three goalkeepers, Carolina has been plagued with below league average goaltending. A team should be able to have confidence in their goaltender; if they don’t have that confidence, no one plays to their full potential. The depth of Carolina’s goaltending is unusual and definitely needs to be figured out.
Scott Darling
Let’s break this down and start with Scott Darling. April 28, 2017, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Darling from Chicago on a 16.6 million dollar, four-year contract. He was 18-5-5 with a .924 save percentage as the backup goalie to Corey Crawford. In the 2017-18 season with the Hurricanes, he was our backup goalie to Cam Ward and started 40 out of the 82 games. He finished the season with a save percentage of .888. He knew his poor performance had him on thin ice and committed his summer to a rigorous training program. Darling lost weight, got in shape, and was ready to come back to the regular season to prove himself as a capable starter.
The preseason of 2018-2019, the Carolina Hurricanes were looking like a new team and Darling a hot goalie with Petr Mrazek as his backup. The final game of preseason against the Nashville Predators, Darling took an injury to the lower body. Unsure how long he would be out, we bumped Mrazek up to starter, but that left us in an odd situation. Who would back up Mrazek?
Curtis McElhinney: The Answer to our Woes?
Two words: Curtis McElhinney. In the 2017-18 season with Toronto, he started in 15 games and finished the season with a .934 save percentage. After that season, Toronto placed him on waivers. Carolina placed Darling on injured reserve and claimed Curtis McElhinney to be the back up to Petr Mrazek.
Three Backup Goalies
Unfortunately, a quarter of the way through the season, we don’t have a consistent starter. Scott Darling is back on the roster and we are essentially carrying three backup caliber goalies. Mrazek is best suited to be a backup; his current SV% is .880 with a 3-3-2 record. McElhinney is a good goalie (11-9-3 with .919 SV%) but is 35 years old. To avoid burnout, we really can’t start McElhinney every game. Scott Darling’s performance since being back has been less than stellar: .892 save percentage with a 2-4-1 record. This leaves the Hurricanes in an unusual position.
Our AHL goaltender—Alex Nedeljkovic—isn’t ready for starting in the NHL; but neither are our three. Do we continue to start Darling and let our team not skate well in front of him? Do we start McElhinney and hope he doesn’t burn out? There really is no simple solution, but the current system isn’t working as well as we had hoped. The only clear thing is that something has to change and it will be interesting to see how head coach, Rod Brind’Amour and general manager, Don Waddell handle this situation in the coming weeks.
Carolina Takes on Montreal
Curtis McElhinney gets the start between the pipes tonight as the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes have a record of 11-9-3 and Montreal with 11-8-5. Tonight may be a pivotal game in deciding the fate of our goaltenders.
Photo Credit
Photo Courtesy of Abby Wheeler
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