Pierre Lebrun would be “shocked” if this Hawks player stays with the team comes July 1st

Pierre Lebrun would be “shocked” if this Hawks player stays with the team comes July 1st

July 1st will be one interesting day for the NHL fans. First, this is the opening of the free agent market and second Las Vegas will be in the mix to stir up everything around.

Stan Bowman will have a difficult puzzle to solve by this summer as Chicago Blackhawks' backup netminder Scott Darling will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Fact is, Darling, 28-years-old, will certainly try to become a No. 1 goalie in the league. He knows he has the capacity to be consistent enough to be a starter.

Can darling become the next Cam Talbot? “He’s ready for the next step,” said an Eastern Conference goalie coach who predicts that the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars and expansion Vegas Golden Knights will show interest in Darling as reported in Pierre LeBrun’s column on EPSN.

Second fact is Scott Darling has .930 save percentage (in 29 games) that places him the second-best in the league in this category.

Expect Darling to leave the Chicago Blackhawks by July 1st.