MLive’s Ansar Khan filed an article discussing Cam Talbot’s conference call with the media yesterday afternoon, and Khan noted that Talbot fully believes that he can assume the starting goaltender’s role here in Detroit:
“Absolutely,” Talbot, who signed for two years at an average annual value of $2.5 million, said. “That’s one of the reasons why I chose to sign here. There’s going to be competition no matter what between three or four of us. I feel healthy and good even at my age. I played 54 games last year, made an All-Star appearance. I still feel like I got a lot to give. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I wanted a two-year deal to come in and try to help a team win and compete for starts.”
Talbot went 27-20-6 for the Los Angeles Kings, with a 2.48 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. He wasn’t sharp in the first-round playoff series against Edmonton, allowing 16 goals in the first three games (1-2) before being replaced by David Rittich, who lost the next two resulting in the team’s quick exit.
The Kings traded for Darcy Kuemper and moved on from Talbot, who was surprised the Red Wings called because they have Husso and Alex Lyon, who played 44 games, a heavier workload than he was accustomed.
“That internal competition is good for everyone,” Talbot said. “It pushes us. It pushes the goalie coaches to try to make us better. But it gives the team confidence in both of the guys that are in there. And when they see us battling hard for that spot, they’re going to want to play that much harder for us in front of us.”
