[Rumour] UPD: Flames sign Cam Talbot (1yr, $2.75mil)

[Split98]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Sure, but if he performs well on a show-me deal, then you have to pay him. Are we sure we would want to have Talbot here long term as a starter? I'm not. No, chances are we would let him go either way unless he was just good enough to be the backup, but not good enough to be the starter.

Of course we do. Isn't that what you're after?


If Talbot performs well as a starter here, and we have to pay him like a starter that's a long-term goalie possibility I think we're after. Young enough to foresee him between the pipes through the prime years of this roster, good enough to carry a woeful team into the playoffs and experience working with one of the best goalies around in Lundqvist.


Why not Talbot, if he earns it?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

so you're saying his play only fell off a cliff because of substance abuse.

Well, that and playing for the worst sports franchise on the planet. Being stuck in the Oilers goal is a punishment I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies. It actually goes a long way to explaining why someone might turn to alcohol or drugs in order to cope.


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[Itse]

Originally Posted by Split98

There's actually potential in Talbot becoming a long-term solution, but hopefully he doesn't have to make that commitment to Cam this year.

Talbot turns 32 in the summer, and so far has one good season as a starter.

The odds of him becoming a long-term solution are basically non-existent.

He'd be another cheap stopgap solution, nothing more.

[Split98]

Originally Posted by Itse

Talbot turns 32 in the summer, and so far has one good season as a starter.

The odds of him becoming a long-term solution are basically non-existent.

He'd be another cheap stopgap solution, nothing more.

Talbot went from the backup behind Lundqvist, to the starter in Edmonton, to run out of Edmonton, to today.

In that time he was a goalie with great potential, the reason Edmonton made the playoffs, then exhausted and overworked. At what point did you evaluate Talbot to have 'non-existent' potential as a starter? Was it the stellar defence you saw in-front of him last year? The year before? Was he supposed to oust Lundqvist?

To me, given his resume... he didn't have any business having as good a season as he had. He surpassed expectations, then succumbed to the Oilers before being moved out. That doesn't seem like a wasted 32 year old to me quite yet.

[SofaProfessor]

I think Talbot is a good option on a 1 or 2 year deal with reasonable AAV. Treliving was interested when Talbot was still with the Rangers and we saw him and McDavid singlehandedly drag the Oilers kicking and screaming to their best season in a long time. I don't think he's a bonafide 60 game starter but if him and Rittich can split time where the Flames play the hot hand then it could work out very well.

Best case scenario: he finds his form again behind a much better team than what's he's been playing on recently and earns a longer deal with more money.

Worst case scenario: he actually is the type of goalie we have seen recently and Rittich takes full control as the starter with Talbot as a backup. This gives a couple more years for the young guys to develop and the Flames aren't committed to Talbot long term so he can be easily replaced in a year or two.

[Royle9]

Talbot will get a 1-2 year deal at most, and the AAV will be more than fair.
I'd bet on a 1 year 1.5-2M contract which I think is fair for a redemption move.

Or the Flames go 2-3 year and hope that he can rekindle his NYR days and work out as more of a steal.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Split98

Of course we do. Isn't that what you're after?


If Talbot performs well as a starter here, and we have to pay him like a starter that's a long-term goalie possibility I think we're after. Young enough to foresee him between the pipes through the prime years of this roster, good enough to carry a woeful team into the playoffs and experience working with one of the best goalies around in Lundqvist.


Why not Talbot, if he earns it?

He'd be 32 at that point. I'd only give him a 3 or 4 year deal, even if he earned it. It's not truly a long-term solution to tie our wagon to Talbot as the starter. If he was turning 25 it would be a very different conversation.

[Itse]

I said non-existent potential as a long-term starter.

His age alone means he's unlikely to have many good years in him. Yes, some goalies last past 35, but most don't.

Yeah we might get a good year or two out of him, but goalies almost never establish themselves as starters at his age. Especially guys that haven't really shown that much.

I really fail to see the infatuation with Talbot. It's not like his one good season was THAT special.

[MrButtons]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

I was comparing Gillies to Talbot's career trajectory. It's an example of how late goalies come into their own. It's rough...they were in different leagues at different times. Talbot's last AHL season was when he was 26....Gillies is 25. Gillies 22 year old season was a lost season due to hip surgery and last season was brutal. I hope we don't give up on him.

Talbot's college years were 21,22 and 23 where Gillies were 19, 20, and 21.

I lined up age on left with save percentage for each at that age.


Talbot Gillies

19 0.908 0.931
20 0.918 0.931
21 0.860 0.930
22 0.907 0.920
23 0.925 0.910
24 0.902 0.917
25 0.913 0.889
26 0.918
27 0.941
28 0.926
29 0.917
30 0.919
31 0.908
32 0.893

Thanks for puttin' this together. I still find it hard to put too much weight into that .889 with the defense that he had in front of him.

[Royle9]

Gillies confidence was shattered when he let that goal in from center ice.

His numbers were so good during college, I thought for sure he'd turn into something by now but it doesn't appear that way. I'm not sure what we do with him honestly but with our "flames luck" we'll give up on him and he'll become a superstar some where else.

[burnitdown]

Originally Posted by SofaProfessor

Worst case scenario: he actually is the type of goalie we have seen recently and Rittich takes full control as the starter with Talbot as a backup. This gives a couple more years for the young guys to develop and the Flames aren't committed to Talbot long term so he can be easily replaced in a year or two.

Sadly, I think there are significantly worse case scenarios than Talbot faltering and Rittich establishing himself as our starting #1 goalie...

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Who do you have in mind? I suspect that most—If not all—the top AHL goalies are either under contract or have their rights controlled by NHL clubs. For every Jordan Bennington there are 30 Tristan Jarrys.


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Oh I’m not up to date on today’s AHL goaltenders. Only someone who’s paid to keep track of the league should know those answers. I’m just saying perhaps there’s another diamond in the rough like Binnington available though.

I mean, even Binnington wasn’t “the guy” down on his farm team. I think I read somewhere that he had lost his job to a younger goaltender after he was suspended and didn’t know whether he’d even be apart of the Blues organization again. His team even requested that he be sent to the ECHL for a stint, which he ended up refusing I believe.

I’m thinking he probably wouldn’t have cost the Flames too much to acquire him back he was almost demoted. So perhaps there could be another Jordan Binnington the Flames could take a shot at. Maybe send them a prospect who’s fallen out of favor in Stockton their way or something. I’m sure the Flames have looked into this, but this current UFA crop just screams overpaid disappoints to me.


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[topfiverecords]

I think it’s pretty difficult to predict which AHL prospect is the next Binnington and it’s also difficult to predict that Binnington continues to play to such a high level for a number of years or not.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

I think it’s pretty difficult to predict which AHL prospect is the next Binnington and it’s also difficult to predict that Binnington continues to play to such a high level for a number of years or not.

I don't know if I would bank on Binnington repeating this season's success as Matt Murray's SV% has declined since he started his NHL career on fire. Teams will have a lot of tape on him now and as with most goaltenders it's all about confidence and consistency as even the very best can struggle at times. The question will be if he can maintain an elite level or fall back to the pack of average goaltenders.

[CaptainCrunch]

Its tough because at one time the Flames looked like they had huge strength at the goaltending position in their prospect pool with Gilles and Parsons.



But both have struggled at the AHL level and dealt with injuries.



The Flames at some point need to develop a home grown starter instead of relying on stop gaps and reclamation projects.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Its tough because at one time the Flames looked like they had huge strength at the goaltending position in their prospect pool with Gilles and Parsons.



But both have struggled at the AHL level and dealt with injuries.



The Flames at some point need to develop a home grown starter instead of relying on stop gaps and reclamation projects.

But until they get there it does make some sense to be filling the position with stopgaps in the interim. Rittich looks like he could be close, and he has improved consistently every year he has spent in North America. Gillies is nearly the same age, and looks like a long shot at this point. After that, Parsons and Schneider are at least a couple of years out, and then there is 23-year-old Zagidulin who could be anything, and newly drafted Wolf, who will spend the next five years in development.

The Flames already have a lot of goalies in the system, and they are fairly evenly distributed in their development. I don't see that there is a better option for now than to keep hoping that one or more of them breaks through.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Oh I’m not up to date on today’s AHL goaltenders. Only someone who’s paid to keep track of the league should know those answers. I’m just saying perhaps there’s another diamond in the rough like Binnington available though.

I mean, even Binnington wasn’t “the guy” down on his farm team. I think I read somewhere that he had lost his job to a younger goaltender after he was suspended and didn’t know whether he’d even be apart of the Blues organization again. His team even requested that he be sent to the ECHL for a stint, which he ended up refusing I believe.

I’m thinking he probably wouldn’t have cost the Flames too much to acquire him back he was almost demoted. So perhaps there could be another Jordan Binnington the Flames could take a shot at. Maybe send them a prospect who’s fallen out of favor in Stockton their way or something. I’m sure the Flames have looked into this, but this current UFA crop just screams overpaid disappoints to me.


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The real problem is that the Flames are already pretty crowded at the position. There is one slot open in the NHL, three goalies who will compete for two spots in Stockton, and then another goalie who will return to Juniour. There is really only room to add one more, and selecting yet another minor league goalie to compete with your other three minor league goalies doesn't strike me as a great idea at all.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Love the rumour of it being a '1 year prove it' deal. Talbot is a goalie that was struggling in Edmonton, and though he only had 4 starts in Philly, did even worse there. There is no way that any team is going to give him term or dollars. He has the potential, and though he has performed well in a few seasons' worth during his career, he is hardly considered a bona fide starter in this league.


I bet it is a 1 year deal with a 2 million dollar max. He signs in Calgary because Calgary has a decent team with a good defence in front of him, the possibility of becoming a starter is there (I love Rittich and believe that he can become a starter, but he hasn't proved that he can consistently handle that load yet - until you become a starting goaltender and do well at it, you simply aren't, regardless of how well you perform until then). Calgary also has McGrattan. This is a team that he knows will help him through his issues - Lehner got that help on the Isles, and his career has taken a dramatic turn-around.


I would welcome Talbot. I don't think of him as an elite goalie, or even think he has elite-level talent. I do think he can be a steady goaltender. That's all Calgary needs. Make the saves you are supposed to make. Don't let any back-breakers in. Calgary's talent will take them the rest of the way.

[madmike]

I’m really not impressed with Talbot, but it’s not like there are a lot of better options out there that won’t suck up assets or significant cap money. Guess this might be ok for a year.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Split98

Talbot went from the backup behind Lundqvist, to the starter in Edmonton, to run out of Edmonton, to today.

In that time he was a goalie with great potential, the reason Edmonton made the playoffs, then exhausted and overworked. At what point did you evaluate Talbot to have 'non-existent' potential as a starter? Was it the stellar defence you saw in-front of him last year? The year before? Was he supposed to oust Lundqvist?

To me, given his resume... he didn't have any business having as good a season as he had. He surpassed expectations, then succumbed to the Oilers before being moved out. That doesn't seem like a wasted 32 year old to me quite yet.

He had a good season. But there is a long list of goalies that were flashes in the pan. Seeing that he has barely even had a single good game in the last 2 years and about 100 games, I am not overly optimistic that the 31-33 year old Talbot will be better than 28-29 year old Talbot.

Maybe with a very managed workload he can hang in there.