FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- It’s been a virtual goaltending carousel for the Edmonton Oilers the past few years and that circular pattern has been a significant contributor to the team’s ongoing stagnation.
New Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli hopes he’s found the goaltender to stop the carnival ride in former New York Rangers backup Cam Talbot.
Talbot, 27, is generally credited with saving the Rangers’ season in 2014-15 when franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was sidelined with a vascular problem in his neck. Talbot, in his first extended test as a starter, shone, finishing the season with a 21-9-4 record and .926 save percentage. Those numbers made him a highly sought-after commodity at the draft and the Oilers ended up finding the right package, sending the 57th, 79th and 184th picks in the draft for Talbot and the 209th pick.
It will be an interesting season for both Talbot and the Oilers, who, of course won the draft lottery and selected uber-prospect Connor McDavid with the No. 1 overall pick on Friday night. Obviously part of the Oilers’ goaltending issues has been caused by the team’s woeful team defense in general, and weak blue line specifically.
Will it be much better this season?
Under new head coach Todd McLellan it should be.
And Talbot has the potential to be a significant upgrade over recent goaltending experiments in the City of Champions.
It’s also a key time for Talbot, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
