Former Blackhawks goaltender Scott Darling is taking a personal leave of absence from the Carolina Hurricanes.
Don Waddell, the Hurricanes general manager, announced the move on Sunday.
Darling has played in just eight games with the Hurricanes this season, holding a 3.33 GAA and .884 save percentage. He has spent much of the season in the AHL; in 14 games with the Charlotte Checkers, Darling has a 3.40 GAA and .882 save percentage.
“Since he’s been down there he’s had some good games and some bad games,” Waddell said to the Charlotte Observer. “He had a tough game the other night and his agent called me and said he would like to take a personal leave of absence and would we allow that to get his mind back together."
Waddell told Darling to "take a week" and said that Darling's decision is not performance-based.
“No, I think it’s him trying to get his mind around it," he said. "He’s obviously has had a tough year on the ice and he needs, from a mental standpoint, needs to regroup basically.
“We all know he’s had ups and downs in his career, and we’ll be supportive. He’s still under contract for two more years and we’ve got to see if we can get this thing back together.”
NHL
Darling played for the Blackhawks from 2014-17 before being traded to the Hurricanes on April 28, 2017. He signed a four-year, $16.6 million contract with the Hurricanes a week later.
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