One major question surrounds Detroit Red Wings netminder Cam Talbot, and that's how much he has left in him. And to be real, it won't be long until we get a prelim on that answer.
The Wings training camp kicks off as I write this with the Red & White Game to follow this weekend and on September 23rd, the first preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks, which also happens to be the 26th birthday for my favorite C/K-pop singer, Song Yuqi. So that's gonna be one awesome day.
But what can we expect from Talbot? Honestly, it depends what's going on with John Gibson. Gibson showed he could be injury prone last season, so if that's the case again this year, expect to see more of Talbot in the crease than we otherwise may've thought.
If Gibson can stay healthy? Then it's not unrealistic to clock him in at 50-55 games, while Talbot takes the rest unless the Wings bring up Sebastian Cossa at any given point.
What should be Cam Talbot's final season with the Red Wings is a mystery
Not only in starts or appearances, but can he still play at a moderately high level heading into his age-38 season? He showed a drop-off last year, clocking in his lowest quality starts percentage in five campaigns, his second-lowest save percentage, and he tied for his worst GAA in that same time frame.
That said, you can argue to take those numbers with the world's finest grain of salt. Why is that? Well, the Wings blue line wasn't what you'd call spectacular or even solid last season. Heck, other than Moritz Seider, was there anyone on that blue line putting up even above average play?
Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson had their moments, but they were both acclimating to the NHL, so they weren't gonna be miracle workers in Year 1. Ben Chiarot was serviceable, but a far cry from the player he used to be. And don't even get me started with Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl.
With a better blue line in place, even if you can call it patchwork, Talbot should rebound. But, will age get the best of him this year?
Ideally, Gibson gets most of the reps while Cossa sticks around in Grand Rapids for one more year. That would put Talbot into a 1x/week role in the crease, preserving him for lesser opponents or when the hopeful hot hand in Gibson can use a break. We'll see how it trends in preseason