Ex-Oilers goalie reunited with Todd McLellan for third time in career
Ex-Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot will have Todd McLellan as a head coach for the third time in his NHL career.
The Detroit Red Wings announced yesterday that Derek LaLonde had been fired after roughly two and a half seasons behind the bench. His replacement will be McLellan, who last served as the head coach of the LA Kings before being fired midway through the 2023-24 season.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 26, 2024
This will likely be a welcomed move by Talbot, who has had plenty of success under McLellan throughout his NHL career.
The two joined the Oilers together ahead of the 2015-16 season and helped snap a 10-year playoff drought in Edmonton in 2016-17. That season saw the Oilers go 47-26-9, while Talbot made a career-high 73 appearances, finishing fourth in Vezina Trophy voting with a 2.39 goals against average (GAA) paired with a .919 save percentage (SV%) and a 42-22-8 record.
McLellan was fired by the Oilers the following season, but that wasn’t the last time he and Talbot would work together.
The goaltender chose to sign a one-year deal with the Kings ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, a team that McLellan had been coaching since 2019-20. Less than a month before McLellan’s firing, Talbot was selected to play in the second All-Star Game of his career. At the time of his selection, he had a phenomenal 2.10 GAA and a .925 SV% through 25 games.
McLellan is now tasked with turning around a Red Wings team that has disappointed this season, going 13-17-4 through its first 34 games of the season. Despite their struggles, Talbot has fared well in a starter role, posting a 2.79 GAA along with a .912 SV% through 18 appearances.
Given the familiarity between the two, Talbot should continue to operate in a number-one role under McLellan for the remainder of the season.
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