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Cam Talbot selected to 2024 NHL All-Star Game

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Congratulations are in order for Kings goaltender Cam Talbot, who was named earlier tonight as the team’s selection for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, to be held next month in Toronto.

For Talbot, it’s the second All-Star selection of his NHL career, after he was honored for the first time in 2022, when he was a member of the Minnesota Wild.

A really nice recognition for Talbot for a few different reasons.

First things first, the game will be held in Toronto this year, a bit of a homecoming for the veteran. After he earned the victory in Toronto earlier this season, Talbot spoke about it still being special to come back to his home province, see friends and family and get to play in front of friends and family. A special moment for him then. Now, he’ll get to do so again as an NHL All-Star, likely as one of two goaltenders selected in the Pacific Division.

Secondly, it’s a recognition for the season that Talbot is having here with the Kings. Among goaltenders with at least 20 appearances this season, Talbot’s .925 save percentage and 2.10 goals-against average are the best numbers in the NHL. Even as you expand the perimeters as bit, Talbot’s numbers are Top-5 in the league. He’s been a trusted and stabilizing factor for the Kings and while he’ll tell you that the numbers aren’t individual numbers, reflective more of team-wide performance, he’s certainly played his part in the equation as well. Even over these last few games, as the Kings have dropped points, you can’t pin much on Talbot’s shoulders. Good for him.

Thirdly, to see Talbot be as strong a fit as he has, coming in on a one-year contract this offseason, has to feel great for all parties involved. Talbot’s contract was a one-year deal with a salary-cap hit of $1 million, with an easily achievable $1 million bonus. For a total of $2 million, with as much as half of that perhaps not even counting against this season’s salary cap, you couldn’t have asked for a better solution for the Kings in net than what Talbot has provided. This isn’t a goaltender who really needed to prove himself, with the strong body of work he already had coming in. With the volatility of the position though, and coming off what was a difficult season due to multiple injuries in Ottawa, it wasn’t a certainty with exactly how the situation would have shaken out. As the calendar flips into 2024, there aren’t a ton of question marks remaining in that area.

“It’s awesome, I mean, he’s been nothing but great all year,” forward Adrian Kempe said after last night’s game. “No other guy on the team deserves it more than him, he’s coming in and playing his heart out every night. He’s been probably the best goalie in NHL so far. So I mean, it’s well worth it, I think everybody’s really excited for him.”

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