Former Oilers goalie Talbot looking like early Vezina candidate

A former Edmonton Oilers goaltender is looking like an early candidate for this year’s Vezina Trophy.

Cam Talbot, who played with the Oilers from 2015 to 2019, is currently having a resurgent start to his season with the LA Kings. Through 10 games, the 36-year-old has a sparkling 7-2-1 record with a gaudy .930 save percentage.

His recent play has been so good that it earned him the honour of being the NHL’s second star of the week.

TALBS 🗣 TALBS 🗣 TALBS 🗣

Cam Talbot was named the @NHL's Second Star Of The Week! ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/12djqmbjqk

— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 6, 2023

As of Thursday afternoon, Talbot is tied for first in the league with seven wins and is sixth in save percentages among goalies who have played in at least five games. He’s played a big part in the Kings having an 8-2-2 record.

This success must feel like a gut punch to Oilers fans. At the moment, Edmonton is currently navigating a crisis in its goaltending department. The team is 2-8-1 and has seen both their goaltenders struggle to put together a .900 save percentage.

It’s gotten so bad for the Oilers that they decided to waive veteran Jack Campbell, and his $5 million cap hit, down to the AHL in favour of journeyman goaltender Calvin Pickard.

Talbot initially entered the league as an undrafted player. He was able to get into the New York Rangers organization and impressed with a 33-15-5 record over the course of two seasons in 2013/14 and 2014/15.

Instead of keeping him, the Rangers opted to stick with Henrik Lundqvist and traded Talbot to the Oilers at the 2015 draft. Talbot played very well in his first three seasons with the Oilers, helping them advance to their first playoff berth in a decade in 2017.

However, things quickly took a turn in his fourth season in Alberta’s capital. His save percentage dipped below .900 and the team struggled. He wound up getting traded to the Philadelphia Flyers mid-way through the 2018/19 season and signed on with the Calgary Flames for the following season.

After his tour of Alberta was complete, he signed with the Minnesota Wild in the summer of 2020, where he played two seasons before being traded to the Ottawa Senators, where he only lasted a single season.

That long and winding road led to him signing a one-year, $1 million deal with the Kings just this past summer.