Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Rangers lost the Eastern Conference Finals in the worst way possible, losing Game 7 at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the offseason officially started, fans are looking at how this team can improve in the offseason. The one player everyone is talking about is Cam Talbot. The backup goaltender showed signs of greatness throughout the year. Some might say he brought them to the No. 1 seed with how well he played when starter Henrik Lundqvist was out with injury.
While Talbot was amazing, there is no question who the starter is in New York. The Rangers have quite possibly the best goalie in hockey in Lundqvist. He showed his mastery once again this postseason. He is the reason why the Rangers are a perennial Stanley Cup contender. With Lundqvist signed through the 2020-21 season, he isn’t going anywhere. That makes Talbot dispensable.
The only thing hurting the Rangers here is that third-string goalie Mackenzie Skapski was forced to get surgery on his hip due to a torn labrum. He will miss up to five months of action. Despite that, Talbot will likely be moved this offseason. There have been rumors linking him to the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers. When fans look at those two teams, they get dreams of stealing Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. Those are pipe dreams at best.
Talbot will likely get traded for a late first-round pick. The Rangers do not own a pick in this year’s first round, which is predicted to be one of the best in years. While the pick isn’t a proven superstar, the Rangers need to take what they can get.
The value of Talbot is dropped thanks to the fact that he is only signed for one season. Another issue is that he may not be the best goalie on the trade market. Craig Anderson could be available after the Ottawa Senators just gave Andrew Hammond a contract extension. That may mean they will keep both goalies, but Andersen could bring a huge return for the Sens.
The Rangers’ front office will look for a Godfather offer when they dangle Talbot. Teams would rather take a chance on Karri Ramo or Devan Dubnyk, who will come for free through free agency, than give up a proven player for Talbot.
The Oilers would be my guess for a trade partner. The Sharks are not giving up their ninth overall pick for a goalie who has never been the guy. The Oilers have that 16th overall pick they got in the David Perron trade, which they could send to New York and still keep Connor McDavid.
They could also throw in Ben Scrivens so the Rangers wouldn’t have to find a backup this season. There would be other pieces involved, but that is the most likely scenario right now.
Nick Villano is the NHL feature writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.
