Cam Talbot’s next stop takes him to another team trying to shake off a long playoff drought.
After two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, the veteran goalie is set to sign a one-year, $950,000 contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’ll join a goaltending group that also includes Jet Greaves and Phoenix Copley, while Elvis Merzlikins remains on the roster but is currently sidelined after offseason shoulder surgery.
For Columbus, Talbot arrives with a track record that once helped end a drought in Edmonton. During the 2016-17 season with the Oilers, he was a key part of the club’s run back to the playoffs after a 10-year absence, posting 42 wins, a 2.39 goals against average, a .919 save percentage, and seven shutouts. Talbot spent another two-and-a-half seasons with Edmonton before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Now he gets a chance to do something similar in Columbus, where the Blue Jackets are in the middle of a six-season playoff drought that is tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the third-longest in the league. Talbot’s arrival gives them another experienced option as they try to turn last season’s momentum into an actual postseason berth.
There is reason for optimism around the Blue Jackets after Rick Bowness took over as head coach and helped spark a strong push last season. Columbus spent much of the final two months in control of a playoff spot before ultimately falling short to the Flyers. Even after losing a few core pieces heading into this season, the group still has some familiarity, and Talbot’s experience adds another layer to that mix.
At the same time, the 37-year-old has to rebound from a rough stretch in Detroit. In 2024-25, his first season with the Red Wings, Talbot went 21-19-5 with a 2.93 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Those numbers slid in 2025-26, when he still finished above .500 at 12-9-6, but his goals against average climbed to 3.19 and his save percentage dropped to .883.
That’s the version Columbus can’t afford to get. Greaves, in his first full NHL season, put up a 26-19-9 record with a 2.60 goals against average and a .908 save percentage, so Talbot will need to raise his level if he’s going to help solidify the crease. Merzlikins’ split last season wasn’t far off, either, at 14-11-3 with a 3.40 goals against average and an .883 save percentage.
Talbot will have a chance to start fresh when Columbus opens its season on October 1.
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