Talbot on Senators: 'We're in a great spot here'

Cam Talbot has had stops in Edmonton and Calgary during his nine-year NHL career as is now looking forward to his third stint north of the border as a member of the Ottawa Senators.

The veteran netminder, 35, who was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on July 12, understands the differences of playing in a Canadian market, but he also recognizes the bright side of what lies ahead with the Senators.

“There is a little bit more scrutiny from media and stuff like that,” Talbot told TSN 1200 on Monday.

“There's a little bit more spotlight on everything. But you know what? There's not a better place to play when fans are excited, and the media is behind you. It's a lot of fun. You get out there and nothing better than trying to help a young group move forward and get us back into the playoffs.”

Talbot figured his time with the Wild was up when the club acquired Marc-Andre Fleury at the deadline in March to bolster the team’s goaltending for a playoff push.

“They brought him in for a reason,” said Talbot. “Down the stretch, I didn't let that deter me. I still wanted to help my team win anytime I possibly could, and I played some of my best hockey down the stretch after we traded for him.

“If anything, it lights a bit of a fire under you. It's that healthy competition and who better to compete with than a future Hall of Famer and the reigning Vezina guy from two years ago. It's just one of those things where you can't let it affect you and you just have to go out there and play your game.”

Talbot enters the season with one year remaining on his contract and expects to encounter more healthy competition with Senators goalie Anton Forsberg.

“I think that's going to be the best part about this opportunity here is some more healthy competition,” said Talbot, who surpassed 200 wins for his career last season.

“There's going to be that mutual respect of taking the long way up, working your butt off, never having anything handed to you. I know I respect [Forsberg] for that and I hope we get the same for me. The healthy competition just makes everybody better. That's kind of how I always looked at it.”

Talbot spent three seasons at the University of Alabama-Huntsville from 2007-10 and then spent parts of five seasons in the minors before making his debut with the New York Rangers in 2013-14.

Talbot credits the king

The Caledonia, Ont., native credits Henrik Lundqvist and goalie coach Benoit Allaire for helping him break through to the NHL.

“I put in the work and did everything I possibly could in the summers and through the year to make sure that if I ever did get an opportunity that I wasn't going to waste it,” said Talbot. “A lot of credit goes to just watching Hank and obviously the goalie coach there, Benoit Allaire.

“I would say that I don't know if I ever would have gotten a shot if I didn't sign with the Rangers and get to work with [Allaire] in the minors and hone my skills. That was a big decision for me when I was coming out of college on who to sign with, had a couple of options, and going with the Rangers and getting to study under Hank and work with Benoit Allaire – those are two of the best guys to learn from and probably one of the main reasons why I am where I am.”

Talbot has a record of 201-142-34 with a 2.63 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 396 regular-season games.

The veteran goalie is eager to help the Senators make a playoff push this season, along with new additions Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat.

Talbot is hoping to bring a steady presence to a team that boasts plenty of skill and young talent.

“We're going to make mistakes, but we're going to make mistakes working hard,” said Talbot. “There's nothing else you can ask of those guys. Everyone is going to learn and grow at a different pace, and we're going to learn and grow together as a team.

“That’s going to be a big part of this starting off in training camp and moving forward throughout the season. There's so many pieces here that we've got. We're in a great spot here and they brought in even more guys. It's just going to be one of those things where we learn and grow together as a team, and we really push for that spot this year.”