An open letter to Scott Darling

Hello Scott Darling! Not to put too much pressure on you, buddy, but you didn't just sign a $16.6M dollar deal (congrats on that by the way), you're not just the presumed new starting goalie, oh no! No Scott - you are goaltending manna to a Canes fanbase starved of stops lo these many years. They've watched far too many softies float by, a surplus of shortside knucklers, seasons full of sharp angled how did that even go ins... far too frequent numbers of... say it with me... glove side high rips right into the twine. It's been disheartening, Scott. And not just for the fanbase, but on many a night, clearly for the team as well.

Here's just a taste of how pumped people are, big man (is it cool if I call you big man?):

That last one wasn't quite as fun - but you get the point.

Your new boss had to be a bit more reserved in his comments of course: "Obviously Scott could have waited until July 1, to see what other options he might have as an unrestricted free agent," Francis said in a team statement, "But he believes in what we are trying to do here and we are thrilled that he is committing to the Hurricanes and to Raleigh."

You've even got a really engaging backstory, which is a bonus.

Anyway - STOP PUCKS.

Your new pal,

Mark

P.S. Cam Ward will always have that glorious run in 2006 - a Cup and a Conn Smythe to his name. Those were the days - but they were days so far gone, even the most optimistic Canes fan needed to squint into their binocs to even remember. It had become clear years and seasons ago that Ward was not only not the answer, but in fact an impediment to the team ever getting back into the postseason. He's a good man who had a good run, but time is up. A new sheriff is between the pipes.