McElhinney Joins Canes With Darling Sidelined

An unfortunate injury has forced the Carolina Hurricanes to temporarily retool their goaltending duo just days before Opening Night.
Goaltender Scott Darling is expected to miss "a couple weeks, for sure," with a lower-body injury, head coach Rod Brind'Amour announced Tuesday.

Darling exited Sunday's preseason finale in the second period with what was later deemed a lower-body concern, and he did not practice with the team on Tuesday. An MRI revealed nothing major, Brind'Amour said, but it's an unfortunate setback for the big goaltender who was coming off a productive, hard-working offseason.
"I hate it for him more than anything. He put in some work this summer. In the little time that we got to see him, he looked different. He looked like a solid goaltender in there and was giving us a lot of confidence," Brind'Amour said. "We just hope he gets healthy and back to where he was."

In a corresponding move, the Hurricanes claimed veteran netminder Curtis McElhinney on waivers from Toronto.
McElhinney, 35, posted an 11-5-1 record, a 2.15 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in 18 games with Toronto in the 2017-18 season. Representing Team Canada at the 2018 IIHF World Championship, McElhinney finished with a 1.48 goals-against average, a .936 save percentage and one shutout in five games.
It total, McElhinney has appeared in 186 career NHL games with six teams, amassing a 2.86 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage and eight shutouts.
"Curtis is a proven NHL goaltender," Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell said in the team's news release. "We see this as an opportunity to solidify our depth at the position."
Darling was likely in position to start Opening Night on Thursday against the New York Islanders. The Canes will now turn to Petr Mrazek, who posted a 3-0-1 record in four preseason appearances.
"It's a setback, no doubt, but that's why we got Petr in here," Brind'Amour said. "It makes my decision a lot easier as to who I was going to throw out there to start Opening Night."
Mrazek, 26, inked a one-year deal with the Hurricanes on July 1, an
opportunity to prove his worth
as an NHL goaltender.
"It's something that puts me a little bit more under pressure," Mrazek earlier in the summer. "That's something that I like to play under in the game, when there's more pressure on me."
"At 26 years of age, we felt there's still upside," Waddell said on July 1. "The age was a big factor for us. He's still a young player with a lot to prove, and he's determined to prove it."
Mrazek owns a 2.66 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and 14 shutouts over six career seasons with Detroit and Philadelphia.