The Edmonton Oilers have signed goaltender Cam Talbot to a three-year extension worth $12.5 million. The extension was reported by Darren Dreger of TSN.ca and the Oilers announced the signing on their website.
The #Oilers have signed goaltender Cam Talbot to a three-year contract extension. pic.twitter.com/Bwi9je0dJJ
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 17, 2016
Cam Talbot 3-year breakdown $4.15 (includes $1 mill bonus on July 1), $4.15, $4.2. No-move for 1st two years and modified no-move in yr 3
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) January 17, 2016
The Oilers acquired Talbot and the 209th pick during this summer’s draft in exchange for the 57th, 79th and 185th pick – which is a small price to pay for a starting netminder.
He struggled right out the gate with the Oilers, posting a .897 save percentage (10 starts) in October and an .864 (3 starts) rate in November. Recently he’s put that slump behind him, with a .934 save percentage (seven games) in December, and a .942 (six starts) marker in January. On the season he’s posted a 8-13-2 record with a 2.58 GAA and a .914 save percentage.
While the 28-year-old’s season numbers don’t scream starting NHL goalie, he’s rebounded well enough for the Oilers to see him as their future number one goalie. It also helps that Anders Nilsson has seen a major down tick in his numbers, which has given Talbot a bigger opportunity.
Three years is manageable considering the Oilers don’t have any great goalie prospects coming up the pipeline. The $4.17 million AAV puts him in line with the salaries of Ondrej Pavelec ($3.9 million), Steve Mason ($4.1 million) and Jonathan Bernier ($4.15 million), so it’s hard to view it as an overpay. It’s what you have to pay a starter you’re not fully 100% on.
The contract is necessary and gives the Oilers much-needed future stability between the pipes at good value. Talbot isn’t one of the best starting goalies in the NHL, but he’s a solid option. Right now, that’s exactly what the team needs.
