Calgary Flames goaltender Cam Talbot believes he's proven himself this season and can return to being a starting goaltender next year.
"I knew that if I came to camp healthy and in the right situation, I was confident I was going to be able to get back to that form," Calbot said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "I think I played through some stuff that maybe I shouldn’t have played through the year before, and toward the end of the year before that, so that had a lot of mitigating factors behind my declining play those years.
"But I think my record shows that when I'm healthy and on top of my game, I can be one of the best in the league."
Talbot signed a one-year deal with the Flames last summer after posting a .892 save percentage over 35 games during a disastrous 2018-19 season split between the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers.
The 32-year-old appeared in just 26 games this season, while teammate David Rittich played in 48. Talbot managed a respectable 12-10-1 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.63 goals-against average. Rittich, meanwhile, posted a .908 save percentage and 2.97 goals-against average.
Talbot, a pending free agent, believes his numbers were good enough to earn him a starting job in the future, potentially outside of Calgary if need be.
"I obviously wouldn't mind coming back here either. I loved it here. It's a great situation, a great locker room and, obviously, I have a really good relationship with Ritter and Siggy (goalie coach Jordan Sigalet)," Talbot said. "So I mean, I wouldn’t rule out coming back, but, obviously, my goal coming here was to show the rest of the league that I still have it in me to be a starting goalie and I think I accomplished that."
Talbot added he would be open to a return if he could get "a fair chance off the bat" to be the starter, something he felt he didn't receive this season.
Some of the greatest moments in sports history have been immortalized through iconic photos. But how much do you know about the stories behind these legendary events? Take our quiz below to find out.
This week, theScore's hockey editors are evaluating the best captains from each current NHL club since the 2000-01 season. The selections are based on individual and team success, as well as popularity and character.
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When the Bruins signed Zdeno Chara as a free agent in 2006, the team immediately handed him the "C." Though they missed the playoffs in his first season as the team’s leader, there’s been nearly nothing but success since.
As Boston's captain, Chara has led the Bruins to the postseason 10 times, including one Stanley Cup victory and three Cup Final appearances. While he trails franchise legend and former captain Ray Bourque in most statistical categories for defensemen, Chara's impact with the Bruins has been incredible. A towering menace on the ice who's instilled fear into opponents for quite some time, he's shown himself to be a gentle giant off of it and as good of a leader as they come.
Buffalo Sabres
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The Sabres have had a remarkable 16 captains since the turn of the century, but none brought more success than Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, who both shared the "C" from 2003-04 to 2006-07. The pair put up the best numbers of their respective careers while leading the club to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals, highlighting a brief but exciting era in Buffalo. Their tenure ended bitterly, as both players departed as free agents in the same summer, leaving a hole that wasn't filled until the arrival of Jack Eichel in 2015.
Detroit Red Wings
You can't really go wrong when choosing between "Stevie Y" and perhaps the best defenseman to ever grace an NHL blue line, but if we're talking 2000s, Nicklas Lidstrom takes the cake for Detroit. The Hall of Fame rearguard earned the Norris Trophy three times during his run as captain and led the Red Wings to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009, capturing the championship in the former year.
Dominant at both ends of the ice, the Swedish sensation led all blue-liners in points during his tenure with the "C," and his plus-152 rating during that span was 51 better than the next-closest defenseman.
Florida Panthers
Len Redkoles / National Hockey League / Getty
While the Panthers didn't have much team success with Olli Jokinen as captain, he almost takes this spot by default. Jokinen is the only Panther to serve as captain for more than two seasons since 2000, and he had some pretty impressive individual years over that span. He posted 89 points in 2005-06 and followed that up with a career-high 91 points the next season. Aleksander Barkov will likely take over this spot in a few seasons, but for now, Jokinen stands tall.
Montreal Canadiens
Richard Wolowicz / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Tied with Jean Beliveau as the longest-tenured captain in franchise history, Saku Koivu holds a special place in the hearts of Canadiens fans. From 2000-01 until his departure in the summer of 2009, Koivu led the Canadiens to the postseason five times.
One of the most enduring memories of Koivu was when he made an unexpected and remarkable comeback in 2002 after being diagnosed with cancer. Originally set to miss at least the entire season, he returned for the Habs' third-last game of the campaign and fans gave him an emotional eight-minute standing ovation. One of hockey's greatest moments illustrated what Koivu meant to the city of Montreal. His resilience and dedication to the Canadiens make him one of the best captains of all time for the historic franchise.
Ottawa Senators
Shaun Best / REUTERS
Daniel Alfredsson is a shoo-in choice, as he captained the Senators for the majority of the last two decades. From 2000 until his departure in 2013, Alfredsson led the Senators to the playoffs 10 times. That didn't include a Stanley Cup victory, but he got extremely close in 2007 before losing in the final.
He's the franchise leader in goals, assists, and points, while sitting in second for games played, trailing Chris Phillips by just one game. Alfredsson also became the first player in modern Senators history to have his jersey retired. He left his mark in Ottawa over his 17 seasons there and will forever be enshrined in the rafters because of his accomplishments as captain.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Steven Stamkos has personified the perennial powerhouse Lightning since breaking out in his second NHL season back in 2009-10. The superstar forward - who was named captain in 2014 after Martin St. Louis was dealt for Ryan Callahan - has authored by far the best offensive numbers of any Bolts captain since 2000-01. He's also worn the "C" for Tampa Bay for longer than anyone else since that campaign.
While the team won the Cup in 2004 with captain Dave Andreychuk and reached the Eastern Conference Final led by Vincent Lecavalier in 2011, Stamkos helped the club reach the playoffs in five of six seasons prior to this year, including two conference final berths and a trip to the Cup Final in 2015.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Graig Abel / National Hockey League / Getty
The all-time leader in goals (420), points (987), game-winners (79), and much more for the 102-year-old Maple Leafs, Mats Sundin is a lock. The towering Swedish pivot and Hall of Famer was the face of the franchise for its most successful era in a generation, and despite a lack of competent linemates, he continued to produce big numbers when Toronto entered a decline after the 2005 lockout.
Sundin served as captain for 10 seasons, and in the seven campaigns applicable to this exercise - at ages 29-36 - he ranked eighth among all players with 533 points in 539 games.
Korpisalo, 25, set career highs in wins and games played in 2019-20 and was set to become a restricted free agent this summer. He compiled a 19-12-5 record with a .911 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average in 37 games for Columbus during his first year as a starter.
The Finnish netminder was selected to the 2020 All-Star Game but was forced to bow out due to a knee injury that also sidelined him for 25 regular-season games.
"Joonas had the opportunity to play a lot of games for us early in the season before he was injured and responded by playing at an All-Star level," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. "He is a young, talented goaltender with a great work ethic and desire to succeed and we are very excited to see his continued development and improvement moving forward."
Originally selected by the Blue Jackets in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Korpisalo has put together a 60-43-14 record with a .908 save percentage and 2.80 goals-against average in 127 career games.
No one can say Doug Armstrong is slacking during the NHL's hiatus.
The St. Louis Blues general manager finalized his third signing in as many days Friday, inking forward Mackenzie MacEachern to a two-year deal with an average annual value of $900,000. It's a one-way contract that begins in 2020-21.
MacEachern, who was a pending restricted free agent, collected seven goals and 10 points in 50 games before the pause. The 26-year-old is in his second season with the Blues, who drafted him 67th overall in 2012.
The Winnipeg Jets and the veteran defenseman have resolved their dispute by terminating his contract effective immediately, the NHL and NHLPA announced Friday.
Byfuglien filed a grievance through the players' association after the Jets suspended him in September for failing to report to training camp.
The 35-year-old's contract would have expired following the 2020-21 season and would have paid him a base salary of $6 million during that campaign, according to CapFriendly. The deal carried a $7.6-million cap hit.
Montreal selected Markov in the sixth round of the 1998 draft, and he went on to spend his entire NHL career with the club. The 41-year-old played his last three seasons in the KHL after his contract with the Canadiens expired at the conclusion of the 2016-17 campaign.
Over 16 seasons in Montreal, Markov racked up 119 goals and 453 assists in 990 games. He ranks second in franchise history among defensemen in games played and points, trailing Larry Robinson in both categories.
