Well, it has finally happened. After weeks of speculation, Cam Talbot has been dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers for goaltender, Anthony Stolarz. The trade is one for one. *shudders*

Anthony Stolarz is a 25-year-old goaltender standing at 6’6″ and weighing 210 lbs. He’s got a cap hit of $761K and will be an RFA next year. After 12 games with the Flyers this season, Stolarz has a 3.33 GAA and a .902 S%. He’s been described as big, athletic, and great in the room. With this move, the Oilers will be freeing up $3,405,417 in cap space and can easily activate Andrej Sekera from the LTIR next week.

After the Oilers extended Koskinen’s contract a few weeks ago, it was telling that Cam Talbot would get traded by the deadline. A few days ago, Elliotte Friedman hinted that a potential fit could be the Flyers, as Cam Talbot and current hot-shot goalie, Carter Hart, share a history training together. Since then I’ve heard speculations that it could be Brian Elliott coming back, or it could be draft picks coming back, or it could even be Wayne Simmonds coming back. None of those happened, and the Oilers ended up acquiring Stolarz, who the Flyers chose to protect in the 2017 Las Vegas expansion draft.

Personally, I’m frustrated that we’re in this position to begin with. Due to Peter Chiarelli’s horrific signings the past few years, we’re forced to trade a solid goaltender to make salary cap space for an aging defenceman who’s only played 36 games in the past two seasons. Cam Talbot had his struggles the past couple seasons but I will never forget how he played in the 2016-17 season to take us to the playoffs. He and his family were icons in this city and some of the nicest people the team has ever seen.

On a business level, this is a move that unfortunately had to be done. The Koskinen extension was a risky signing, but Chiarelli laid our cards and we now have to suffer the consequences. Unloading almost $3.5 million in cap space is a breath of fresh air, and is only one small step forward to our post-Peter Chiarelli recovery era. Anthony Stolarz is an up-and-coming goalie who was thought highly of the Flyers who has a surplus of goaltending prospects. I understand the move for Keith Gretzky to target Stolarz instead of the veteran, Brian Elliot, and I truly hope it pays off for him. I will miss you, Cam. Good luck in Philidelphia!

What are your thoughts on the trade? Let me know in the comments.