Cam Talbot

Talbot certainly played well in his first season in Minnesota in 2020-21, but he wasn't as good as his 19-8-5 record would lead you to believe. His 2.63 GAA was identical to what he posted in his lone season in Calgary, and his save percentage actually dropped from .919 to .915 in his maiden voyage with the Wild. Backup goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen got significant playing time throughout the course of the year, but Talbot, who is signed for two more years at a cap hit of more than $3.6 million, is the unquestioned No. 1 'keeper for the Wild heading into the 2021-22 season. That makes him a mid-tier fantasy option for managers.

Talbot beat David Rittich out for the Flames' starting job by the end of the 2019-20 campaign. With a 2.63 GAA, .919 save percentage and a 12-10-1 record in 26 games, Talbot had his best season since 2016-17 last year. It wasn't enough to keep the Flames' interested, but he was able to secure a three-year deal with the Wild to be the 1A option ahead of Alex Stalock. The 33-year-old Talbot should be expected to be the primary starter in 2020-21, although he likely won't see more than 50 appearances in an 82-game season. Fantasy managers would do well to pair Talbot and Stalock together when possible -- both were solid last year and head coach Dean Evason may ride the hot hand at times.

After appearing in just four games with Philadelphia last season, Talbot returns to western Canada on a one-year deal with the Flames. 2018-19 wasn't exactly kind to the veteran netminder. He went 11-17-3 while posting a sub-par .892 save percentage and 3.40 GAA in 35 appearances split between the Oilers and Flyers. Things could go much better for Talbot this season, though, as Calgary gave up far fewer goals than either Edmonton or Philadelphia last year. Additionally, just three years ago, Talbot led the league with 42 wins and posted a .919 save percentage and a 2.39 GAA. Even if he doesn't reach those heights, he should be able to bounce back, at least to an extent, in 2019-20. Talbot will, however, be battling David Rittich for playing time in net, so the lion's share of the workload is far from guaranteed to the veteran backstop.

The No. 1 netminder in Edmonton finished the 2017-18 campaign with a 31-31-3 record, 3.02 GAA and .908 save percentage. Those were the worst ratios of Talbot's NHL career, and he only earned one shutout. Still, this past season was a down year for all of Edmonton, and surpassing 42 wins from a breakout campaign of 2016-17 was going to be tough by any goaltender's standards. The good news is that the Oilers didn't bring in anyone this offseason to compete with the 31-year-old for his starting gig, meaning a third consecutive season of 60-plus starts between the pipes should be attainable for Talbot, who is in a contract year and cashing out the balance of a $12.5 million deal.

Those fantasy owners who placed their bets on the Oilers improving rapidly in Connor McDavid’s second year by drafting Talbot relatively cheaply were rewarded in spades last year, as he easily led all goalies in appearances with a whopping 73 and won 42 of them, tying Braden Holtby for tops in the NHL in that category. Talbot did that despite not improving all that much from the prior campaign, as his .919 save percentage and 2.39 GAA were quite respectable, but hardly a major departure from his 2015-16 results (.917, 2.55). The Oilers would surely like to dial back the 30-year-old’s enormous workload to a somewhat more reasonable level -- say, the mid-60s -- but it’s not clear how many starts they'll feel comfortable having backup Laurent Brossoit shoulder. Although his ratios fall short of elite, Talbot’s liberal usage and team context make him one of the finest goaltending options in this fall’s fantasy drafts.

Although Edmonton’s disorganized defense was a far cry from what Talbot enjoyed as a member of the Rangers, he still managed to put up a respectable 2.55 GAA and .917 save percentage in his first season as a starter. The University of Alabama in Huntsville alum returns as the Oilers’ unquestioned top option in the crease, and an improved blue line should help his stats while also giving Talbot a good chance at finally eclipsing the 21-win mark, which he’s reached in two consecutive seasons. His save percentage has dropped with a bigger sample in each of his three NHL campaigns, but this season could reverse that trend if the Oilers do indeed take a step forward as expected.

Expectations on Talbot may be a bit unrealistic this season. The Oilers were moved to acquire the 28-year-old after he was fantastic as the Rangers’ starter when King Henrik went down last season, finishing with a 21-9-4 record, five shutouts, a 2.21 GAA, and a .926 save percentage. But that was behind an ironclad blue line, something the Oilers just don’t have. It’s going to be a tough haul for Talbot to prove he’s capable of being a starting NHL goalie in the colds of Alberta. He could still win 30 games, but those ratios will certainly take hit. Talbot is better suited as a second goalie in a deep league than a guy you can rely on to solidify your twine tent.

At 6-3, the Ontario native weighs more than the 200 pounds he's listed at. It's widely assumed that if Henrik Lundqvist were to leave for greener pastures after the upcoming season, Talbot would be the next in line behind Martin Biron. Of course, with Henrik locked up for the upcoming season and Biron's advanced age, Talbot will need to be sharper than he's been at the AHL level before any talk of "grooming" commences. The Alabama-Huntsville alum has posted a 50-52-4 record with eight shutouts through three-plus seasons with the AHL's Wolf Pack.

Talbot signed with the Rangers in 2010 and spent most of his time with the AHL Connecticut Whale last season before being added to the Rangers' playoff roster. Talbot faces long odds to make the Blueshirts' roster with Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Biron entrenched in their spots, but he's a name fantasy owners should know in case their is a rash of goaltending injuries at Madison Square Garden.