Hurricanes place struggling goalie Scott Darling on waivers

The Scott Darling saga took another turn Thursday, as the Carolina Hurricanes placed the goalie on NHL waivers, general manager Don Waddell said.

If Darling clears waivers at noon Friday, he will be assigned to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League.

Darling is in the second year of a four-year contract that pays him $4.15 million a year. The former Chicago Blackhawks backup goalie, obtained by Carolina in a 2017 trade, had a miserable 2017-18 season for the Canes.

Darling returned for his second season in better physical condition, shedding 50 pounds, but injured a hamstring in the final preseason game. The Canes, in turn, claimed goalie Curtis McElhinney off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

McElhinney has a 7-2-0 record with the Canes after a 48-save performance Tuesday in the 2-1 win over Montreal. Darling is 2-4-1 with a 3.14 goals-against average and .892 save percentage.

The team also placed forward Valentin Zykov on waivers Thursday.