Wild send Talbot to Ottawa in goalie swap
Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) tries to knick the puck away from Minnesota Wild goalie Cam Talbot (33) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 31, 2022, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
The Minnesota Wild will have a new tandem in net for the upcoming season.
Tuesday, a day before the opening of NHL free agency, the Wild traded Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators for goalie Filip Gustavsson.
It comes less than a week after Minnesota re-signed goalie Mark-Andre Fleury to a two-year contract.
Talbot, 35, is entering the final year of his three-year contract.
Last season, Talbot started 48 games, going 32-12-4 with a 2.76 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and three shutouts. He also made the All-Star Game.
However, after Fleury was acquired at the trade deadline, Talbot went on to start only one game — the series-ending loss in Game 6 — in the playoff series against the St. Louis Blues.
Gustavsson, 24, started 16 games for Ottawa last season, going 5-12-1 with a 3.55 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. He also played 20 games with the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League, going 11-6-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage and two shutouts.
He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round (No. 55 overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
The move also frees up nearly $3 million in salary cap space for Minnesota.