The San Jose Sharks have a bit of cap space remaining and over the next week or so, I’ll look at which low-cost free agents the Sharks could look to sign in free agency. The first article focused on Thomas Greiss, while this article will look at the possibility of signing Cam Talbot.
The fact is, the Sharks need a goalie but there aren’t a ton of options available for them. They don’t have the space needed to sign a high-end starter like Robin Lehner (who may or may not have a deal in place with Vegas anyways) and don’t have the assets to trade for a goalie under contract. So they need a low-cost, short-term solution and like Thomas Greiss, Cam Talbot could be a good option.
Talbot had an excellent bounce-back year this season, posting a .919 save percentage in 26 games. He also took over the role as Calgary’s playoff starter and had an excellent run in the postseason, posting a .924 save percentage in 10 games.
Despite this, Talbot is likely still destined for a short-term contract with a fairly low AAV. He’s already 33 years old and is just a year removed from posting a brutal .892 save percentage in the 2018-19 season and also managed just a .908 save percentage the season before that.
Talbot was making $2.75 million on a one-year deal this season and I’d expect a new contract would have him around the same price, potentially on a two-year deal this time. If that's the case and the Sharks could get Talbot for around $2.75 million on a two-year deal, it may be worth doing. Personally, I still think Greiss is the better option, as Talbot has been a bit all over the place in the last few years, while Greiss has been solid for two seasons in a row. That said, the Sharks need a solution in net and Talbot is one free agent that is actually a possibility.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
Would you be in favour of the Sharks targeting Cam Talbot in free agency?