Cam Talbot was an intriguing offseason acquisition by General Manager Rob Blake. He was coming off a poor season in Ottawa, where he was never fully healthy.
However, his prior experience was something more or less desirable due to his relationship and time with Edmonton under then-head coach Todd McLellan.
The system was familiar, and Talbot was excellent during his time with the Oilers, highlighted by the 2016-17 campaign in which he played 73 games, had a .919 save percentage, and had a 2.39 GAA.
This season, Talbot surged out of the opening gate, claiming the number one role. He had a dominant November, going 6-2-0 with a .941 save percentage. His November was sandwiched around two months of 4-2-1 and 4-3-2, respectively.
Then came the All-Star announcement.
NHL.com Announcement on January 4th:
"Talbot, 36, has allowed two goals or less in 16 of his 25 appearances this season, helping the Kings rank first in the league with a 2.35 goals-against average per game. He also leads multiple categories among goaltenders to have appeared in at least 10 road games, including wins (10), SV% (.943), GAA (1.60), goals against (19) and shutouts (2) as part of his 10-1-1 road record this campaign."
The announcement was two days after the 3-0 loss at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The loss was not on Talbot, who posted a strong .929 Sv %, but he has struggled since the announcement.
He has gone 0-5-2 with a goals-against average of 4.62 and a save percentage of .865. The all-star in Talbot has withered and has deflated back down to Earth.
The team performance around Talbot is poor, but a perfect example of needing saves was during the Colorado game—two goals on two shots from distance. He was pulled from the game for the second time during the seven-game downfall.
Many critics, analysts, and writers, including myself, were wary of the Talbot pickup during the offseason. Though his advanced metrics under McLellan's system gave room for hope and aspiration, his age and recent history was cause for concern.
He has been humanized at the worst possible time for the organization. Without "Big Save" Dave Rittich, they could be in a much worse predicament.
They have picked up plenty of loser points along the way, which could be decisive at the end of the year when attempting to get into the big dance.
Rittch started the game against the Blues, and will start versus Nashville on Wednesday.
Rittich has been excellent and was by no means the reason why the Kings lost vs St Louis. He made stunning saves but was exposed to six St Louis power plays based on his teammate's reckless play.
If you are Todd McLellan, you start Rittich vs Nashville for the best chance to gain some traction in a heated and tightly contested wildcard race.
Overall, Cam Talbot is in a precarious state. He will be attending the All-Star Game as the only Kings representative. He is 0-5-2 since the announcement, and the team has plummeted to fighting tooth and nail for a wildcard spot.
Talbot will undoubtedly play the part and represent the Kings well during the All-Star Game while simultaneously standing in an obscure position of needing to revive his early season run of play.
The fate of the season may depend on it.