The Los Angeles Kings have kicked off 2023 free agency with the signing of goaltender Cam Talbot to a one-year contract worth $1 million a season. At 35 years old, Talbot is coming off a short stint with the Ottawa Senators following a trade from the Minnesota Wild prior to the 2022-23 season. This comes as the Kings were looking to find a new starting goaltender for the 2023-24 season, and they’ve seemingly found it in Talbot.
Talbot had a 17-14-2 record with the Senators last season and posted a 2.93 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. This will be the seventh team he’s played for, having previously spent time with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, and most recently, the Senators. He is a consistently strong goaltender who will be looking to bounce back after a slight decline in his stats last season.
Talbot is one of a few goaltenders that were on the market going into the offseason, but he was the first to get snatched up. The Kings have Pheonix Copley as their goaltender going into next season, but it doesn’t hurt to add a veteran after likely losing their trade deadline acquisition Joonas Korpisalo.
He spent his junior career in the NCAA playing with the University of Alabama-Huntsville for three seasons before getting his opportunity in the American Hockey League (AHL) in the New York Rangers’ farm system. He posted a .909 save percentage and a 3.03 goals against average through the three seasons in the NCAA, playing a total of 70 games.
Related: THW 2023 Free Agency Tracker
Talbot went undrafted, but the Rangers took a chance on him after a strong showing at the NCAA level. He played 116 games in the AHL before getting his first shot in the NHL during the 2013-14 season. In those AHL games, he posted a 2.68 goals against average and a .914 save percentage with a 54-52-5 record.
Talbot a Solid Veteran Replacement for Korpisalo
All signs point to the Kings going all in next season as they make a push for a Stanley Cup. They already went and acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois and locked him up for eight years, so now their focus is on filling out the rest of their roster. With the loss of Korpisalo, adding Talbot brings some calmness to Kings fans as they have a potential “1A, 1B” tandem with Copley and Talbot.
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Copley played well to finish the 2022-23 season, but it doesn’t hurt to be on the safe side. Talbot has played well for contenders in the past, so the Kings made a smart choice to bring him in. It is unknown what the Kings’ plan is with Talbot, whether he’ll be there to push Copley and make it a friendly competition or if he’s being brought in to be a starter, but he was a smart signing by the Kings.
Be sure to stay tuned into The Hockey Writers for the latest up-to-the-minute free agent frenzy coverage.