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Former Oiler could be best realistic option to solve goaltending woes
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Photo credit: © John Jones-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Nov 17, 2025, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 17, 2025, 15:43 EST
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The Edmonton Oilers’ need for a new netminder tandem continues.
There is a solution that doesn’t involve trading Stuart Skinner. Admittedly, the hometown goaltender has been okay this season, posting an .891 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average in 14 games. Among netminders with 14 or more games played,  Skinner’s 2.7 Goals Saved Above Expected ranks fifth, with nine netminders playing at least 14 games this season.
The .891 save percentage is a little worrisome, especially considering it’s down from .896 last season. That said, the average save percentage has dropped to .897 this season, the first time the average save percentage has been below .900 since 1995-96, and the worst since 1993-94.
With the Oilers’ cap situation being the way it is, there isn’t a clear upgrade over Skinner. That said, the Oilers need a new backup. In seven games this season, Calvin Pickard has an .830 save percentage and 4.17 goals against average. His GSAE of -2.7 is the eighth-worst for netminders with seven or more games played.
There’s no clear internal option either. Connor Ingram was acquired before the start of the season, but he has an .860 save percentage in five games with the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors this season. Hopes are high for 21-year-old Samuel Jonsson, but he’s played just six games in the ECHL.
It’s clear that the Oilers desperately need a 1B to challenge Skinner, but it’ll have to be external. Enter former Oiler, Cam Talbot.

Cam Talbot is the perfect 1B for the Oilers

Like Skinner, Talbot has a sub-.900 save percentage, rocking an .896 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average in 10 games this season with the Detroit Red Wings. Looking under the hood, Talbot’s 3.4 GSAE ranks 19th amongst netminders with 10 or more games played, one spot above Skinner.
There’s familiarity with Talbot in Oiler country. It may be a hot take, but Cam Talbot was my MVP of the 2016-17 season. In a whopping 73 games, he had a .919 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average. His advanced numbers were even better, finishing with a 29 GSAE, third-best in the league. This was the last season the Oilers had an above-average netminder. 
Two years later, Talbot was traded for Anthony Stolarz before the 2019 trade deadline. Since then, Talbot has bounced around the league. He finished the 2018-19 season with the Philadelphia Flyers, returned to Alberta to play for the Calgary Flames in 2019-20, played two seasons with the Minnesota Wild, and then returned to Canada to play for the Ottawa Senators.
That brings us to the 2023-24 season. Talbot found himself with the Los Angeles Kings that year. In the 2023 portion of the season, Talbot had a .925 save percentage through 25 games. His play slipped after Jan. 2’s loss, allowing 30 goals on 215 shots (.860 save percentage) in his following eight games, before finishing the season strong, posting a .918 save percentage over his final 21 games.
Despite the rough eight games, Talbot finished with a .913 save percentage and 2.48 goals against average in 54 games. His 10.7 GSAE ranked eighth among netminders who played 41 or more games.
Talbot had another strong season in terms of GSAE with the Red Wings in 2024-25, finishing the year with 12.8 GSAE, 16th in the league for netminders with 41 games played. That said, his save percentage dropped to .901, while his goals against average jumped to 2.91.
All of this is to say that despite a rough start to his 2025-26 season, Talbot has proved to be a solid backup the past two seasons, and it’s a fairly large sample size as he made over 100 starts in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Is he the best goalie who could realistically be available? Probably not. However, his cap hit of $2.5 million is easy to absorb. The Oilers currently have $212,500 in cap space, but if they were to acquire Talbot, Pickard’s $1 million salary would be buried, and additional moves would be made to fit that contract in the books. Talbot is also set to become a free agent at season’s end, so if it doesn’t work out, it’s not a big deal.
The biggest question is why would the Wings, who are 11-7-1, move on from Talbot, especially since he’s 7-2-0. Well, the Red Wings made a big splash in the off-season, acquiring John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson hasn’t had a strong start, but a big reason why the Oilers didn’t acquire him is that he wanted to be a starter, not a 1B, for the team.
An additional reason why the Red Wings may want to move Talbot is because of prospect Sebastian Cossa. Last season in the AHL, the 22-year-old had a .911 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average in 41 games played. He even made his NHL debut last season, allowing two goals on 14 shots in a shootout victory. So far this season, Cossa has played four games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, posting a .939 save percentage and 1.75 goals against average. It’s clear he needs some NHL action.
If the Oilers wish to make a much-needed trade for a netminder, Talbot makes the most sense.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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