(Ottawa) Cam Talbot isn’t sure what his first season with the Ottawa Senators has in store for him, but he believes he can help the team as they try to earn a spot in the playoffs.
Posted at 3:22 p.m.
The Senators acquired Talbot from the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night for goaltender Filip Gustavsson.
Talbot, 35, is expected to form a team in net for the Senators with Anton Forsberg. The latter won the position of starting goaltender last winter, but it is not yet known how the responsibilities will be shared next season.
“It’s a new opportunity for me, but I don’t know the plans of the coaches or the management. We haven’t talked about it yet,” Talbot said on a conference call Thursday.
“I want to play. I think I still have good hockey in me and can play 50-55 games a season. That’s what I’m going to aim for, but you never know what can happen in a season. »
Forsberg played 44 games with the Senators last season, going 22-17-4. However, he doesn’t have as much experience as Talbot, having never been the NHL’s No. 1 goaltender until last winter.
For his part, Talbot has a record of 201-142-34 in nine NHL seasons with five different teams.
He did well last winter with the Wild, but the team eventually acquired Marc-André Fleury and trusted the Quebec goaltender during the playoffs.
Fleury signed a two-year contract extension with the Wild last week.
Talbot now hopes to help the Senators make the playoffs for the first time in 2017. They have been active in recent weeks, including the acquisition of forwards Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux.
The native of Caledonia, Ont., hopes to be a leader within the team and support the young nucleus well.
“I want to lead off the ice with my work ethic, my experience, etc. I’ve been in the lead group for a few teams and have no problem answering questions from the younger guys,” Talbot said.
Talbot earned the respect of Senators fans in 2016 when he played for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers had just suffered a 2-0 loss to the Senators in a game marking Craig Anderson’s first start after a break to accompany his wife, who had just learned that she was suffering from cancer.
Talbot was named second star of the game, but stayed on the ice to cheer on first star Anderson.
“There are more important things than hockey,” Talbot said. I felt the need to highlight his performance and his courage. It must have been a special win for him. »