NHL on NBCSN Wednesday Night Rivalry: The Jeff Glass experience continues vs. Rangers

The Chicago Blackhawks had one of the best backup goaltenders in the NHL over the past three years, but on Friday, Scott Darling got traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. It ends a fantastic three-year partnership between the Hawks and Darling, who proved in Chicago that he could play at the highest level. Now he’s gone to pursue his chance at being a starter, and the Blackhawks are left with the Ottawa Senators’ 2017 third-round pick. At first glance, that might seem like a paltry return for a potential key player. Darling could be an above-average starter in the NHL, and the Hurricanes got him for the same pick they received by trading Viktor Stalberg. It’s not exactly a high cost. The thing is,

When the news came down that Marian Hossa would miss the 2017-18 season, most first thoughts were about his health. But it was only natural to look at the business implications, and the possibility of Hossa going on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). That would solve the Blackhawks’ cap issues, right? That would give them more money to spend, right? Well, not exactly. See, the LTIR can be a bit complicated. It can also be tricky to explain. And right now, even Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman is trying to figure out how this all develops for the team. “I think there’s a little bit of a misconception on the LTI provision in the salary cap, and understandably so. It’s very complicated. It’s