Cam Talbot was in the NHL All-Star Game with the Los Angeles Kings not that long ago. Now, at 39, he’s still sitting in free agency as training camps get closer and preseason looms.
That’s a sharp turn for a goalie whose lone season in Los Angeles went so well. In 2023-24, Talbot put together a 27-20-6 record with a .913 save percentage, a 2.50 goals-against average and three shutouts across 54 appearances and 52 starts. It was enough to earn the second All-Star selection of his career.
Since then, though, the road has gotten rougher. After spending the last couple of seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Talbot’s stock has taken a hit, and his future in the league is far less certain than it was a year ago.
His first year in Detroit was solid enough: a .900 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average in 43 starts. This past regular season, however, those numbers slipped to an .883 save percentage and a 3.19 goals-against average. His goals saved above expected dropped to -9.7, and his quality start percentage fell to a decade low 48.0.
Age matters here too. Talbot turned 39 in July, and teams are no longer viewing him as a goalie who can carry a heavy load. If he gets back into the NHL, the most realistic path is probably as an inexpensive veteran backup or depth option rather than someone asked to do what he did for the Kings three seasons ago.
That’s what makes his Kings stint look even better in hindsight. Los Angeles and former general manager Rob Blake took a low-risk shot on him in 2023, signing him to a one-year deal worth just $1 million in base value.
Talbot paid it off with more than 25 wins, a save percentage above .910 and nearly a career-best 14.0 goals saved above expected, plus that All-Star nod.
Now, three years later, it looks like the end of the road may be getting closer. But that season in Los Angeles still stands as one of the stronger late-career chapters for a goalie who has played well over 500 regular season NHL games.
In Other News...
Darcy Kuemper Faces A Kings Camp Fight He Didnt Expect
Darcy Kuemper is headed into camp determined to stay in Los Angeles and win back the job he had before last season slipped away. The veteran goalie put together a strong 2024-25 run and still sees himself as part of the Kings' plans, with a chance to reassert himself in a crease that has become one of the team's most important questions heading into the new year.
Anton Forsberg is part of that question, which is what gives this battle its edge. Both goaltenders are entering the final year of their contracts, so the competition is about more than just training camp reps or early-season starts. For Kuemper, the challenge is clear: prove he can still be the goalie the Kings trusted, and do it before the season becomes a referendum on where this partnership goes next. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face A Brutal Midseason Test That Could Define Them
The middle of the season is about to get unforgiving for the Kings, with a seven-game road stretch from Jan. 23-30 that will take them through Nashville, Florida, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Carolina. It is the kind of trip that can wear a team down even before the puck drops, with travel piling up and every night bringing a different style of opponent and a different kind of test.
The timing makes it even trickier because the brief All-Star Weekend break arrives only after that run, before the Kings head back out for more road games against Dallas and St. Louis. Without Anze Kopitar in the mix, the burden shifts even more heavily onto the rest of the room to stay organized, keep their energy up and avoid the kind of lapses that can turn a tough stretch into a defining one. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Prospect Just Changed A Development Path Fans Should Watch
Liam Lefebvre has taken an interesting detour in his development track, one that gives the Kings another prospect worth following closely over the next couple of years. The defenseman, drafted 46th overall by Los Angeles in the 2026 NHL Draft, has built his junior resume in the QMJHL with Rimouski Ocanic, Chicoutimi Saguenens and now the Cape Breton Eagles, giving him a varied path before he ever steps onto a college rink.
His new college destination adds another layer to that path, with Boston University now in the picture after an earlier commitment elsewhere. For the Kings, the timing matters as much as the school itself, since Lefebvre is slated to keep playing with Cape Breton in 2026-27 before making the jump to BU, leaving a little more runway for his game to mature before his next major step. [Read more 🡒]