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

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by timbit

Uh NO!

They were 24th in GA in the time Hitchcock coached the Oilers.

Well they certainly didn’t get great goaltending from Koskinen or Talbot which was part of the problem. Also they were icing defensemen like Manning, Petrovic, Jones and etc due to injuries which didn’t help. But they planned a more defensive oriented game and weren’t afraid to trap. If anyone has seen the goals Talbot has given up over the last 2 years, it definitely makes me nervous. Not sure if the goaltending equipment change has affected him a lot but it seems very possible.


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[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

The idea of a "window" for a young team is fairly exaggerated. Three years is a long time, and the Flames are not a team in the looming predicament of SJ, LA, Anaheim, or Chicago where most of their top players are in their late-20s or early-30s.

"looming predicament"? LA, Anaheim and Chicago's windows have already been buried. Chicago is making a last gasp effort to do something. San Jose... who knows where they are, that depends almost entirely on Martin Jones.

I'm not saying the Flames will be in those teams' position in another 3 years. I'm saying that in 3 years there will be a need to do some work on the roster, as Johnny's deal will be up, Gio will be a UFA at 38 years old, and you'll be one year away from paying Monahan as well. Add in having to pay the young defensemen, presuming one or more of them hits and moves into the roles left by Brodie and Hamonic (who knows which if either is re-signed next year), and you're going to have a decent bit of roster turnover at that point... and who knows where the team is after that.

As you say, 3 years is an eternity in the NHL. The Flames are in a great position in that they have a decent amount of certainty about what the team is going to look like over that period, and it should be quite good. The exception is at the goaltending position, and I think this is an interesting way of dealing with that conundrum. If the plan fails, I fully expect them to get a top guy at the deadline or next summer, but I don't hate the idea for this year.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Locke

They didnt play 'solid defence' they played 'tight defence' theres a difference and that difference was that they were consistently hemmed in their own zone because their forwards cheat and they have nobody who could make a breakout pass.



That being said, now with Smith I think the Oilers are going to set a record for 'Number of Icings in a Season.'



Its going to be 'cram the D-zone and hope Mike Smith can make a breakout pass to a cheating forward' so....essentially shinny hockey.

I think Smith will ultimately help that team in the win column which will irk me all season long. Hopefully the league will look at Smith’s chest protector. Derek Wills mentioned that about halfway through the season Mike Smith scraped together a custom chest protector which coincided with his sudden improved performance as the squeaky goals had stopped.

Doesn’t exactly sound legal to me. So hopefully he’s forced to go back to the other chest protector and every team can exploit his 6 and 7 holes again.


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[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Well they certainly didn’t get great goaltending from Koskinen or Talbot which was part of the problem. Also they were icing defensemen like Manning, Petrovic, Jones and etc due to injuries which didn’t help. But they planned a more defensive oriented game and weren’t afraid to trap.

With the coaching change last year the Oilers dropped from 11th in the League in shots allowed under McLellan to 21st under Hitchcock. If that was the plan, it failed spectacularly.

If anyone has seen the goals Talbot has given up over the last 2 years, it definitely makes me nervous. Not sure if the goaltending equipment change has affected him a lot but it seems very possible.

Cam Talbot entered last year having played more games in two years than every other goalitender except Pekka Rinne (who played a lot in the playoffs), but having faced hundreds more shots. The Oilers ran Cam Talbot into the ground.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

I think Smith will ultimately help that team in the win column which will irk me all season long. Hopefully the league will look at Smith’s chest protector. Derek Wills mentioned that about halfway through the season Mike Smith scraped together a custom chest protector which coincided with his sudden improved performance as the squeaky goals had stopped.

Doesn’t exactly sound legal to me. So hopefully he’s forced to go back to the other chest protector and every team can exploit his 6 and 7 holes again.


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I think Smith cost the Flames more points than he earned us, so if he was costing us points I dont know how hes going to fare in that dumpster-fire.

That being said however, you're probably right, he will probably help that team in the win column more than Kostinem will.

But overall, thats not saying much.

The Oilers were dead and buried by January despite not wanting to admit it, and thats an improvement for them, but the Pacific and the West are getting better and the Oilers.....well the Oilers are not.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

With the coaching change last year the Oilers dropped from 11th in the League in shots allowed under McLellan to 21st under Hitchcock. If that was the plan, it failed spectacularly.





Cam Talbot entered last year having played more games in two years than every other goalitender except Pekka Rinne (who played a lot in the playoffs), but having faced hundreds more shots. The Oilers ran Cam Talbot into the ground.

How does that explain Talbot’s early season struggles when he was supposedly fresh then? His poor performance early on over the past couple seasons really put the Oilers behind the 8 ball. I mean maybe he can figure things out as he was fantastic for them in 16-17, but the type of goals I saw him gave up certainly makes me nervous about the signing. As long as it’s a 1 year deal, I can probably live with it as we can move on from it easily if it doesn’t work out.


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[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

How does that explain Talbot’s early season struggles when he was supposedly fresh then? His poor performance early on over the past couple seasons really put the Oilers behind the 8 ball. I mean maybe he can figure things out as he was fantastic for them in 16-17, but the type of goals I saw him gave up certainly makes me nervous about the signing. As long as it’s a 1 year deal, I can probably live with it as we can move on from it easily if it doesn’t work out...

Who says he was fresh? I think the reason we are seeing a consistent move away from +65-game goalies is precisely because GMs and coaches are recognizing this issue: that with how the position has developed there is a stronger tendency for goalies to break down and experience systemic problems with excessive work.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Locke

I think Smith cost the Flames more points than he earned us, so if he was costing us points I dont know how hes going to fare in that dumpster-fire.

That being said however, you're probably right, he will probably help that team in the win column more than Kostinem will.

But overall, thats not saying much.

The Oilers were dead and buried by January despite not wanting to admit it, and thats an improvement for them, but the Pacific and the West are getting better and the Oilers.....well the Oilers are not.

Smith was as bad as it could get in the 1st half of the season. I was actually hoping the Flames would find a better option at the time. But he seemed to fix the softies in the second half of the season and I think that was directly linked to the change in his chest protector.

Personally though, I hope he gets crushed next season and the Flames can light him up every time they see him.


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[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Who says he was fresh? I think the reason we are seeing a consistent move away from +65-game goalies is precisely because GMs and coaches are recognizing this issue: that with how the position has developed there is a stronger tendency for goalies to break down and experience systemic problems with excessive work.

Well he had months off from April to September from hockey, so if there’s any time a player has time to rest up and be fresh, it’s the summer. I don’t doubt that a goaltender can break down of being over worked, but to me, I don’t think it necessarily applies to Talbot in this case.


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[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Well he had months off from April to September from hockey, so if there’s any time a player has time to rest up and be fresh, it’s the summer. I don’t doubt that a goaltender can break down of being over worked, but to me, I don’t think it necessarily applies to Talbot in this case.

You don't think the goalie who has played the most minutes and faced the highest number of shots in a two year period is overworked? Bizarre.

[Stay Golden]

Absolute crap addition.
I recall how pretty much everyone would make fun of the Greasers with Talbot blowing countless games. Now Treliving adds this bum

[ComixZone]

Interesting that this still isn’t “officially” confirmed. Tree busy?

[AC]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Interesting that this still isn’t “officially” confirmed.

Is it?

Talbot is apparently at the Dome today.

[Rando]

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

Absolute crap addition.
I recall how pretty much everyone would make fun of the Greasers with Talbot blowing countless games. Now Treliving adds this bum

From a pure comedy aspect it'll be funny to see who's consistent and who did a 180° on Smith and Talbot but personally I like him and would've preferred him over Smith even down the stretch last season.

He was terrible last year, thought his play was better than his numbers two years ago and excellent in prior seasons, for me he's a prime bounce back player. 32 isn't that old for a goalie and I'd bet on him having some good seasons ahead.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Interesting that this still isn’t “officially” confirmed. Tree busy?

Someone get Scorp working on this to confirm.

[GioforPM]

I didn't watch too much Talbot last year. But I find it hard to believe that he was letting in the type of obvious stinkers that Koskinen or Smith did.