The stakes for Oilers'; goalie Cam Talbot are higher than Edmonton';s Stantec
Tower, which will be Canada';s tallest building outside of Toronto when
construction of the skyscraper wraps up this fall.

And, if he hopes to appease the Oilers'; rabid fanbase and silence his critics,
 he';ll need to stand almost as tall.

Coming off his worst season in the NHL, the 31-year-old left many wondering
what exactly the Oilers have between the pipes moving forward.

Is Talbot nothing more than a superb backup goaltender? That';s how he started
his career with the New York Rangers. During his rookie season, Talbot appeared
 in 21 games behind future Hall-of-Famer Henrik Lundqvist - 19 of those were
starts - and he assembled a 12-6 record, while posting a sterling .941 save
percentage (SV%) and a 1.64 goals-against average (GAA).Cam Talbot steps up
between the pipes

His sophomore campaign with the Blueshirts in 2014-15 was also impressive. An
injury to Lundqvist late in the season opened the door to more playing time for
 Talbot and he took advantage. In 36 appearances and 2,095 minutes in the
crease, the Caledonia, Ontario native notched 21 wins - five of them shutouts -
 and nine losses. His SV% went down from the previous season to .926, while his
 GAA inched up to 2.21.

The body of work with the Rangers, while limited, was enough to convince people
 that Talbot could be a No. 1 goalie in the National Hockey League (NHL). And
when he was traded, some in New York questioned whether or not the Rangers
traded the right netminder.Starting Role in Oilers Net

The Oilers acquired Talbot and a seventh-round draft pick for a second-round
pick, a third-round selection and a seventh-round pick on July 26, 2015 with
the intention of making him their starting goaltender.

His three seasons in Edmonton since then have been a mixed bag.

With his workload increasing by 20 games and over 1,000 minutes in 2015-16,
Talbot';s overall numbers were solid enough. His .917 SV% and 2.55 GAA were
right in line with league averages for goaltenders, but his win-loss record of
21-27 told the story of another losing season in Edmonton - the Oilers 11th
straight season of no playoff hockey.Cam Talbot, Edmonton Oilers, Oct. 21, 2017
 (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Talbot wasn';t necessarily the cause of the Oilers'; woes, but he didn';t seem
to be a major solution either. Not that he had much assistance behind him, or
in front either - backup goalies Anders Nilsson and Laurent Brossoit provided
little relief to the new starter, while regular shifts for the likes of Mark
Fayne, Justin Schultz and Eric Gryba didn';t help to keep the puck out of the
Oilers net. Only the Flames, Blue Jackets and Coyotes allowed more goals that
season.

One year into his time with Edmonton, Talbot still showed enough promise to be
a starting goalie, but he also had a propensity for giving up soft goals that
deflated the young team playing in front of him.Vezina-Calibre Season in
Edmonton

Entering his second campaign with the Oil, Talbot still had plenty to prove -
and he did just that, putting in the best season of his career.

Once again, the former University of Alabama-Huntsville twine protector saw his
 workload increase significantly.  He led the NHL in games started, with 73,
and his 42 wins were tops in the league, along with Braden Holtby of the
Washington Capitals. Talbot';s seven shutouts, .919 SV% and 2.39 GAA helped the
 Oilers break their playoff drought and saw him finish fourth in the Vezina
Trophy race behind nominees Sergei Bobrovsky, Holtby and Carey Price. He also
set a new wins record in Edmonton, surpassing Grant Fuhr';s 40-victory total
from 1987-88.

When the pressure ratcheted up in the playoffs, Talbot responded, backstopping
the Oilers to a six-game series win over the San Jose Sharks before losing to
the Anaheim Ducks in controversial fashion. The most crucial goals Talbot
surrendered in that seven-game battle were heavily scrutinized, not because he
was scored on, but because goaltender interference appeared to be a major
factor in the series.

After the sting of that playoff loss wore off (well, maybe it hasn';t worn off
in Edmonton yet), a look at Talbot';s numbers revealed a netminder capable of
handling the rigours of postseason hockey. A 2.48 GAA and a .924 SV% through 13
 games are stats that coaches can rely on.Forgettable Cam-Pain

Everything appeared to be trending up for the Oilers heading into the 2017-18
campaign. Superstar Connor McDavid and emerging force Leon Draisaitl were
looking like the one-two punch at centre that every team dreams of, while
defensemen Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson had played like legitimate
top-pairing defenders. Along with a supporting cast that seemed to be hitting
its stride, Talbot had solidified his standing among the league';s best
goaltenders.

Add in the fact that the Oilers were so close to making the Western Conference
Finals the previous season (many observers thought blown goalie interference
reviews in the 2017 playoffs were the only thing that denied Edmonton a shot at
 playing the Nashville Predators), and their was cause for optimism at Rogers
Place.

And then ... well, it';s still not entirely clear what all went wrong, but if
it wasn';t everything, it was a lot of things.It';s still not entirely clear
what all went wrong. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Talbot was not immune to what was ailing the Oilers. For a goalie who had been
trending to a level of dependability and elite play, it was surprising to see
Talbot struggle to provide Edmonton with quality goaltending - but that';s just
 what happened. He had the worst season of his career, with his GAA climbing
over three goals per game (3.02, to be precise) for the first time ever and his
 SV% coming in at .908, below the industry standard of .912.

With a .500 record of 31 wins and 31 losses, and his teammates in front of him
collecting minuses at a frequent rate, it was a lost season for Talbot and the
Oilers. Once again, he had no help from the backup goalies brought in to
lighten the load for him, as Brossoit and Al Montoya were ineffective in the
crease.What Now for Cam Talbot?

Last year at this time, Oiler fans weren';t throwing question marks at their
goaltending situation. But a dismal year for Talbot - and much of the team -
changes things.

Talbot has every motivation to improve in 2018-19. He has the financial
incentive of a contract year and the personal drive to perform better for
himself and his teammates.

So, what can we expect from Talbot? He will tell you that last year was the
anomaly, and the statistics tend to back that up. If he';s able to return to
form and even put up the kind of numbers he did in his first season with
Edmonton (OK, maybe not the win-loss record, but the SV% and GAA), while the
team in front of him improves defensively and on special teams, the Oilers
should be competing for a playoff spot once again.

Talbot better hope that';s what happens - because the stakes have never been
higher.

The post Oilers Goalie Cam Talbot - Bounce Back or Bust appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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