Talbot making most of 1-year contract with Kings

TORONTO -- Rob Blake looked down from the visitor’s managerial box at Scotiabank Arena at his Los Angeles Kings congratulating goalie Cam Talbot on Thursday and broke into a big grin.

It was the smile of a man who knows he’s gambling a bit by not allotting a lot of cap space to goaltending this season. Whether it works out long term remains to be seen, but the Kings general manager is certainly happy about the short-term returns after a 4-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Yeah, it was good, wasn’t it?” Blake said after Talbot’s 29-save performance. “He’s been good for us so far.”

Is it sustainable? Los Angeles hopes so, at least until more options become available before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8 when there is more cap flexibility to work with.

For now, the Kings will ride Talbot, who’s playing for his sixth team in six years, and Pheonix Copley, who spent time in the American Hockey League last season after struggling with Los Angeles and is off to a rough start this season as well (1-0-1, 4.98 goals-against average, .788 save percentage).

Copley’s issues have put the spotlight squarely on the shoulders of Talbot, a 36-year-old who was limited to 36 games with the Ottawa Senators last season (32 starts) because, as he explains, “going through injuries three different times is tough.”

He’s healthy now, however, and has come storming out of the gates for his new team; in seven games (six starts) Talbot is 4-2-1 with a 2.47 GAA and .914 save percentage. For Blake, who took a calculated risk and rolled the dice when it comes to goaltending, so far so good.

Not that Blake had a lot of choices after acquiring center Pierre-Luc Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets on June 27 for forwards Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Gabriel Vilardi, and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. By immediately signing Dubois to a eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value), there was little space left to squeeze in a big-name goalie.

Enter Talbot, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract and is eligible to earn an additional $1 million in games-played bonuses.

“Obviously when we went into free agency, there was minimal space available,” Blake said.

Aside from the financial fit, the relationship that Kings coach Todd McLellan had with the veteran goalie was another attractive reason to bring him in. Talbot played four seasons with the Edmonton Oilers when McLellan was the coach there from 2015-19.

“I think the familiarity with Todd and Cam went a long way,” Blake said. “And also, the experience over the years, knowing that he could come in and play behind the system that we play.

“Everything fit into that.”

It certainly was a successful fit Monday against the Maple Leafs. Talbot made 18 saves through the first two periods before John Tavares scored a power-play goal at 8:25 of the third, his lone blemish of the night.

“I thought he was really good tonight,” McLellan said. “He was calm, which settles our group down. He was pretty predictable as a goaltender in the net, which helps us because we try and play a predictable game defensively. He made timely saves and got us the win.”

McLellan then offered some food for thought.

“If you just say those things without the name behind the goaltender, you’ll take those things every night,” he said. “I mean, Talbot the individual is very competitive. He takes care of himself very well. He’s a little long in the tooth like some of us, but he takes care of himself so well that he can play and play a lot.

“And he’s hungry. He wants to win.”

Minutes after McLellan’s meeting with the media, Talbot emerged from the trainer’s room where he’d received treatment and spent time rehabbing in the tub. Muscles, after all, need some extra time to soothe when you’re in your mid-30s.

“We started on time,” he said, referring to the Kings’ 2-0 lead in the first period. “This is a tough building to play in. They come out really hard. They’ve got a ton of talent over there. So yeah, that was as complete a 60-minute performance as we’ve had all year.”

It was the type of effort from a talented team that attracted him to Los Angeles in the first place.

“First and foremost, I wanted an opportunity to still battle for starts,” he said. “I wanted an opportunity to win. And obviously, all that, combined with Todd being here and the familiarity with him, all three of those things were the three biggest factors for me signing here in the first place.”

It’s a marriage that’s still in its infancy, but to date is paying dividends for both sides.