Kings sign goaltender Cam Talbot to one-year contract (AAV: $1,000,000)

The LA Kings have signed goaltender Cam Talbot to a one-year contract carrying an AAV of $1,000,000 at the NHL level. Talbot’s contract also carries performance bonuses, which could bring the overall compensation package up to $2,000,000.

First off – a goalie! We knew that the Kings would be in the market for a goaltender this weekend, as free agency opens and we knew that the Kings would not be shopping at the top of the market in terms of salary-cap hits. Talbot presents an experienced option for the Kings, who falls within the salary range the Kings can afford to spend at. More on his signing below –

Instant Analysis –
We’ll get to the 2022-23 campaign with Ottawa, but from 2019-22, Talbot was among the most consistent goaltenders in the NHL. Talbot posted save percentages of .919, .915 and .911 over those three seasons. He posted goals-against average totals of 2.63, 2.63 and 2.76. Of the 142 goaltenders to play NHL games over those three seasons, just 12 posted a goals-saved above average figure (per Natural Stat Trick) of greater than 20. Talbot was one of those 12 goaltenders during his time with Calgary and Minnesota. These aren’t Vezina Trophy level numbers, but these are upper echelon in the NHL numbers for sure and he was named to the NHL All-Star Game in 2022. When you look at adding the player who posted those stat lines at the contract-range the Kings can offer, certainly feels like there’s some upside to that signing.

Now, there’s the other side of that coin, which is that Talbot is 35-years-old and will be 36 when the season starts in October. He’s also coming off one of the weakest seasons, statistically speaking, of his career, playing behind a very young team in Ottawa. Talbot posted a 17-14-2 record with a .898 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average. He was playing behind the NHL’s fifth-youngest squad and did miss some time down the stretch with a lower-body injury. All that being said, he was right around league average (slightly worse in SV%, slightly better in GAA). For a Kings team that was in the NHL’s bottom five for almost all of the season, even last year’s totals still present a step up.

Naturally, the Kings are hoping for a lot of what Talbot showed over that three-year sample size, and really throughout the majority of his NHL career. He’s had his ups and downs, but this is an experienced netminder with a .914 career save percentage. He’s also a goaltender who has played in the postseason before, with 33 playoff appearances between New York, Edmonton, Calgary and Minnesota. Additionally, he’s worked with Todd McLellan and Trent Yawney when as they linked up for a couple of seasons in Edmonton, including the playoff run to Game 7 of Round 2 back in 2017. So, while Talbot isn’t exactly a familiar face for the Kings, expect as an opponent, he’s got familiarity with the coaching staff which is ceratinly a positive.

Now, I use the numbers above because, frankly, I’m not a goaltending guru who can analyze the technical side of Talbot’s game. Will certainly look to talk to someone who is, most likely in podcast form, to give us a better sense of that aspect. The numbers, though provide some encouragement that the Kings are adding a player with the potential to be better than the contract he was signed to. Talbot is not a long-term solution for the Kings, as he joins towards the end of his career, but he presents an intriguing veteran option to add into the mix.

In terms of where Talbot fits on the roster, we’ll pencil him into a tandem with Pheonix Copley, which would compete the group of goaltenders available for the Kings at the NHL level. Copley was such a success story for the Kings a season ago, and knows the organization now, so perhaps that gives him an initial leg up, but this certainly feels like a tandem situation moving forward. Todd McLellan has been a proponent that the days of one goaltender playing 60 games is behind us for most teams, those few, elite netminders outstanding. Copley/Talbot is a decent bet as of now as the tandem for Opening Night and throughout the course of training camp, the two of them will sort out which order, and how regularly, they play games. Good competition at a position that had a huge unknown next to Copley 24 hours prior.

Talbot fits the strategy this summer for the Kings – value signings. His cap hit comes at a very manageable $1,000,000 which fits what the Kings are looking for during free agency and fills what was the largest position of need for the organization in rounding out the goaltending tandem. In keeping with the roster consistency we’ve been using, the Kings have 12 forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders under contract, with 2,761,666 in salary-cap space to fill out the remainder of the roster. There are obviously other moves that are floating around and will come in here in the coming hours. Will take an overall look at the cap once things settle down.

With regards to the performance bonuses, Talbot’s deal enables him to earn an additional $1,000,000 should he play in 10 or more NHL games this season. Talbot is eligible for performance bonuses because he is 35-years or older, and performance bonuses can be rolled over onto next season’s salary cap should they push the Kings over the 2023-24 cap limit. Alex Edler had a similar contract last season, though the Kings fit his entire salary in this past year. If nothing else, it provides flexibility for a team flirting with the cap ceiling here entering training camp.

From the team’s official release –

Talbot, 35, made 32 starts for the Ottawa Senators last season, posting a 17-14-2 record with one shutout, a 2.93 goals-against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage (SV%) in 36 appearances. The 6-4, 201-pound netminder has accrued a career record of 218-156-36 with 28 shutouts, a 2.65 GAA and .914 SV% in 432 appearances across his 10-year NHL career with Ottawa, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers. In 33 Stanley Cup Playoff game appearances, Talbot owns a 15-16 record with six shutouts, a 2.51 GAA and a .921 SV%.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Rangers in 2010, Talbot made his NHL debut on Oct. 24, 2013, making 27 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Flyers. Since his NHL debut, Talbot’s 432 games played and 11,517 saves rank ninth among all NHL goaltenders, while ranking 10th in wins, and 11th in shutouts and time on ice (24,665:17). An NHL All-Star in 2021-22 with Minnesota, Talbot twice led the NHL in goaltender games played with Oilers (73, 2016-17 & 67, 2017-18) and once tied for the league lead in victories (42, 2016-17).

Talbot began his professional career with the American Hockey League (AHL), posting a 54-52-5 record with eight shutouts, a 2.68 GAA and a .914 SV% in 116 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack and Connecticut Whale. He added a 5-5 record in 10 Calder Cup playoff games with two shutouts, a 2.17 GAA and .937 SV%. Talbot also appeared in two contests with the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL.

Prior to turning pro, Talbot played three seasons with the University of Alabama-Hunstville (CHA), where he earned a 15-44-6 record with two shutouts, a 3.03 GAA and a .909 SV% in 70 NCAA games. Talbot backstopped the Chargers to a CHA tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2010, earning CHA Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Team honors.

The Caledonia, Ontario native led Canada to a gold medal at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men’s World Championship, posting a 7-1 record with four shutouts, a 1.25 GAA and a .940 SV%. Talbot’s four shutouts and seven victories led the tournament, while his GAA and SV% ranked third among tournament netminders.