Ninth Player Trending Down
9. Cam Talbot
Cam Talbot has fallen from grace in a big way – but the difference this year is now he has legitimate competition for starts.
He followed an off year last year of a 3.02 GAA and .908 Sv% – which at least you could say were average numbers – with the 1st half of this season with an ugly 3.30 GAA and .892 Sv%.
Ouch.
In his 1st season as the starter here, Talbot was one of the NHL’s top goaltenders in terms of wins, but the past two seasons he has struggled quite badly.
He hasn’t had a win since Dec. 7 and at this point has been relegated from a 1A goalie to a backup goalie. Mikko Koskinen has usurped his starting role from him until he proves otherwise.
He’s in a contract year, so if he doesn’t pick it up in the 2nd half of the season, then the best he can hope for is short term backup money going forward. The Oilers may re-sign him, or they may feel they need to move on. If they have a new GM after this season, you can expect he’ll move on for sure.
Maybe they trade him to Buffalo at the deadline for Linus Ullmark.
I’d make that trade, would you?