Observations:

December 2015 – After Darling’s strong 2014-15 season in which he usurped Antti Raanta as Corey Crawford’s primary backup, the Blackhawks shipped Raanta out of town and rewarded Darling with the job to himself. So far in 2015-16, he has made seven appearances and six starts, showing well in all but two of them. For now it appears as if Corey Crawford remains part of the long term plans in Chicago, but Darling remains a hold in dynasty leagues. Any long-term injury to Crawford would vault Darling up to must-start status as a source for cheap wins. Matt Donohue

March 2015 – It took seven years, but Darling finally made his NHL debut on October 26^th, 2014. Since being drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007, the 26 year old bounced around seven different leagues, including two years spent at the University of Maine. After a successful season in the AHL in 2013-14 where he had 13 wins in 26 games, Darling signed his first NHL deal with the Blackhawks, presumably for organizational depth. Darling emerged as more than that when starter Corey Crawford was injured in December, and he essentially stole the net from Antti Raanta. His performance in 2014-15 has earned him a two year contract extension that will keep him in Chicago’s crease conversation for the next couple of years. As of today, the Blackhawks have elected to keep Darling as their backup and have demoted Raanta. At 6’6, Darling certainly has the size of a new age goaltender, and we have seen a number of late bloomers at the position just this season – think Devan Dubnyk and Michael Hutchinson. Matt Donohue

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Fantasy Outlook C

Darling lacks the pedigree of other late-bloomers, but this doesn’t preclude the chance of him becoming a starter at some point. For now, Darling will continue to backup Crawford and serve as injury insurance.

Footage:

A highlight video from Darling’s 2013-14 season with the Milwaukee Admirals:

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