NHL

Scott Darling and Valentin Zykov on Waivers

by
Former Writers
November 29, 2018

Note to Reader: This post was orignialy written by Abby Wheeler

NHL

Waived with Plans to Reassign

This afternoon, Don Waddell—general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes—announced that Scott Darling and Valentin Zykov have been placed on waivers. Obviously the biggest news of this is Darling; his goaltending this season has been inconsistent at best. Zykov being waived is very similar to a situation earlier this year with Phillip Di Giuseppe. He was placed on waivers, cleared, and sent to the Charlotte Checkers. Both Darling and Zykov were waived with the intention of them not being claimed and being assigned to the AHL.

Valentin Zykov

He hasn’t been the most impressive in the Hurricanes lineup, but his performance hasn’t been the worst; he has recorded three assists so far this season. Placing him on waivers cleared a spot for Clark Bishop who was recalled just a few hours later.

There are a few different speculations as to what will happen with him. Zykov is a talented player for the third or fourth line; it is conceivable that he could be claimed. If he isn’t claimed by another team within the twenty-four hours, he will be reassigned to the Charlotte Checkers. A fresh start on a new team may be exactly what Valentin Zykov needs. Whether he clears waivers or heads off to a new team, this is definitely something he could benefit from.

Scott Darling

This is something most of us were waiting for. The Carolina Hurricanes goaltending has been a rough situation for a while now and carrying three goalies wasn’t easy by a long shot. It’s doubtful that someone will claim Darling, but there is always a chance. The likely scenario is that he clears and is sent to Charlotte, where he will likely serve as the back up to Alexander Nedeljkovic.

Now, this will have some ripple effects on the organization. If Darling clears and goes to Charlotte, that will have an impact on his current backup. It’s feasible that Callum Booth will be sent down to the ECHL team in Florida—one of many reasons the decision to send Darling down wasn’t as simple as it seemed. Nedeljkovic and Booth are both talented players. Sending Darling down will take up their playing time and likely demote Booth.

Only the next twenty-four hours and few games will tell exactly what will happen with each of these players.