Seravalli: “smart money” has Cam Talbot with the Flames

As Tuesday evening wound down, TSN’s Frank Seravalli dropped a pretty big piece of information regarding the Calgary Flames’ goaltending tandem for the 2019-20 season.

Seravalli added, for context, that things are “far from done” but that one agent told him the whole “musical chairs” for NHL goaltenders might be settled out in the next 24-48 hours.

Talbot turns 32 on July 5. He broke into the NHL as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup with the New York Rangers and posted stellar numbers in limited work. He was landed by the Edmonton Oilers in a 2015 NHL Draft weekend swap, the prize in a scramble for goaltenders league-wide that saw the Flames re-sign Karri Ramo. Talbot was a strong starter for Edmonton for two seasons, but then the bottom fell out of his game and he was a fairly “meh” backup for two seasons, his tenure ending with a trade to Philadelphia.

The thought process from the Flames side is likely that Talbot would be an inexpensive short-term signing with a lot of upside, and that his struggles were more a product of Edmonton’s shaky defensive system than his talent level. Talbot’s camp likely sees Calgary’s strong defensive group, led by the reigning Norris Trophy winner, and figures a season playing behind them will rehabilitate his career.

We’ll have more on this as it develops.