Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has made another move, this time acquiring goaltender Cam Talbot from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for goaltender Filip Gustavsson, the Senators announced Tuesday.
The deal comes just one day after Dorion moved netminder Matt Murray along with a third- and seventh-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for future considerations.
Talbot posted a 2.76 goals-against average and .911 save percentage with the Wild last season, along with a 32-12-4 record.
Despite his solid performance, where he went 13-0-3 for Minnesota to finish the season, the Wild felt the need to increase their depth in the crease and acquired Marc-Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline. Fleury then took over the No. 1 role and played in five of Minnesota’s six playoff games.
After the Wild extended Fleury’s two-year contract last week, Talbot’s agent George Bazos informed Wild general manager Bill Guerin of his client’s displeasure, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, although an official trade request was never made.
Guerin previously said he wanted both Talbot and Fleury back in net for 2022-23. When asked about a conversation he had with Bazos at the NHL Draft after Fleury’s extension, Guerin responded vehemently, saying he didn’t have to do anything because Talbot was under contract, Russo reported.
“I have no nonsense to do. Cam Talbot is under contract. George can say whatever he wants. My team is ready right now and this is the way it’s going. We can have all the discussions we want. Cam is a member of our team. We really like Cam. All we’re trying to do is win,” Guerin said.
Talbot, 35, has one year remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $3.66 million, the Wild did not retain any of his salary. The Senators will be Caledonia, Ontario’s sixth hometown NHL team, having previously played for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames and Wild.
The Senators will now enter next season with a tandem of Talbot and Anton Forsberg between the pipes.
“Kem has experience and provides us with more goaltending stability for next season,” Dorion said via a team press release. “He helped Minnesota reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the Wild. The tandem between him and Anton Forsberg prepares us well for the coming year.”
Forsberg, 29, posted a .917 save percentage in 46 games in Ottawa last season after bouncing around several teams over the previous few seasons and failing to find a steady footing in the NHL. The Senators rewarded him with a three-year, $8.25 million extension in March for his performance.
The move of the younger Gustavsson in favor of the experienced Talbot signals once again that Ottawa is looking to turn the page on its rebuild.
Dorion and the Senators had already started the offseason by acquiring 24-year-old sharpshooter Alex DeBrincat from the Blackhawks in exchange for the seventh and 39th picks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and the fourth round in 2024. The club then traded Murray on Monday .
The Senators are also reportedly interested in adding longtime Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux in free agency and top-4 defensemen such as McKenzie Wieger of the Florida Panthers.
Gustavsson was acquired by the Senators in 2018 in a three-team trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights. While spending the majority of the last few seasons with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, the Swede from Scheleftea has played 27 NHL games over the past two seasons – posting a .905 save percentage and a 3.12 goals-against average.
He has one year remaining on a one-way, $787,500 deal before becoming a restricted free agent and reuniting with Guerin, who was the Penguins’ assistant general manager when the club selected Gustavsson 55th overall in 2016.
The Wild now have Gustavsson and Fleury as netminders under NHL contracts for next season.
Add Comment