He could be a steal for Los Angeles!
The Kings entered the offseason looking to make some real upgrades, but they were hard-pressed to do so due to cap space issues. However, General Manager Rob Blake got creative and made some moves to open things up a bit. But the team still didn't have much money to go after a top-tier goaltender despite that being their biggest weakness a season ago. Yet, a relationship between their head coach Todd McLellan landed them a veteran net-minder on a cheap deal.
The team agreed to a one-year deal worth $1 million plus bonuses with veteran goalie Cam Talbot. Talbot spent the second half of last year with the Ottawa Senators, putting up a 17-14-2 record with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. He has dealt with injuries for much of the last few seasons, but prior to that, he had some of his best years under McLellan while they were in Edmonton together.
-“It definitely was,” said Talbot when asked if playing for McLellan was a factor in his decision to sign. “Playing for Todd in Edmonton, I had some of my best years when I was there. When we were there he rode me pretty hard and I played the most amount of games I’ve ever played. Had some of my best years and getting to reunite with him was definitely a huge bonus for me. And coming to a team that’s been building towards something here. They want to win and I’m at the point in my career where I want to win too. This was a huge opportunity for me to step in here and hopefully challenge to play some games.”
Talbot should help bring some stability to the Kings' goaltending situation. While he isn't the same player as he was a few years ago, he still has good hands and should thrive again in the goalie-friendly system that LA uses. If the Kings' defense can continue to get better, it will also make things easier for Talbot.
-“I feel good, definitely no lingering effects from anything that happened last year,” said Talbot, “For anyone that doesn’t know me, I feel like I train extremely hard, especially for a guy my age. So, I’m doing everything that I do every other summer. Just, the older you get the more you try and add into your repertoire here. And just try and hit the ground running when training camp starts.”
Talbot will likely be used as one of a two-man system, but his veteran presence alone is already a big help for this team. LA will head into the year, hoping to compete for a Stanley Cup once again.