Odds Say Oilers Will Trade Cam Talbot Before Deadline

• Odds favor Oilers goalie Cam Talbot being moved at the NHL Trade Deadline. 
• Talbot has just 10 wins in 31 attempts this season. 
•  The veteran goaltender has a career-worst 3.36 goals against average.

Once again, Edmonton is looking ahead at the trade deadline and up at the vast majority of teams in the league above them in the standings. This feeling isn’t foreign to the Oilers. In fact, they’re quite used to this now. What they’re not used to around these times is not having tradable pieces.

Arguably, their most appealing asset is starting goaltender Cam Talbot. Seeing if there’s a market for the aging keeper is another question altogether.

Cam Talbot Trade Odds

Saying you want to trade a goalie (even though they haven’t… yet) and finding somebody that wants your goalie are two very different things. Cam Talbot is a serviceable goaltender, but his resume has been decaying with the times.

Two years ago he won 42 games. Last year he notched 31 wins, and this season he has 10 wins in 31 attempts. Not to mention, he’s also sporting a career-worst 3.36 goals against average. He’s an unrestricted free agent and his trade value, to be frank, is pretty minimal. However, that does not mean it’s impossible. There are a few scenarios that could raise his stock.

Possible Scenarios and Takers for Cam Talbot

There’s two ways that Talbot gets dealt – a package deal or a depth trade.

Option #1: Package Deal

The Oilers ship Talbot and another player or two out the door for picks or a player with a few years left on his deal. The likelihood of this one is decent given the 2019-20 UFA’s on their roster.

If they could pair Talbot and perhaps an Alex Chiasson, Tobias Rieder, Alex Petrovic and-or a Kevin Gravel up, they may have a trade chip on their hands.

Showcasing Cam Talbot? https://t.co/X4a8Yma7pl

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) February 8, 2019

Option #2: Depth Trade

The Oilers find a trade partner in need of backup goalie depth. With Matt Murray’s off and on status, Pittsburgh could be a possible destination. Should the Jackets decide to cash in on Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus could be another fit. The Sharks could also be trade partners if they decide to upgrade from Aaron Dell (7-6, 3.04 GAA).

The possibilities are endless! Well, somewhat anyhow.

Do the Oilers Move Talbot?

Given Mikko Koskinen’s new three-year deal signed in January, it’s not a question of if, it’s now just a question of when and where.