What went right this season: Cam Talbot

As mentioned the other day, we are going to be reviewing what went right and what went wrong for the New York Rangers in the 2014-2015 season. 

Henrik Lundqvist is the New York Rangers. He’s their best player, their leader, and the heart and soul of the team. This team goes as far as Lundqvist goes in the postseason. An injury to him would derail any potential playoff run.

Or so we thought.

While most of the above is true, the Rangers dealt with adversity this season when Lundqvist took a puck to the throat, sidelining him with a vascular injury for six weeks. Enter Cam Talbot, the Rangers backup with just 32 NHL games under his belt prior to the injury. Those games were solid, but it was unclear if Talbot would be able to shoulder that load.

His first few games as starter were shaky, but once he settled in, the backup was unbelievable. Talbot played all but two games for the Rangers in February and March, a total of 24 games. Talbot posted a 16-5-3 record, with a 2.25 GAA and a whopping .926 SV% in that span. The Rangers didn’t miss a beat, and won the President’s Trophy due to Talbot’s performance.

Overall, Talbot posted a 21-9-4 record, with a 2.21 GAA, a .926 SV%, and 5 shutouts for the season. At even strength, Talbot posted a .930 SV%, well above average. Breaking it down by location of shots, Talbot posted a .967 SV% on low-danger shots, a .940 SV% on medium-danger shots, and a .862 SV% on high-danger shots (all per war-on-ice).

Talbot, who signed his one-year, $1.45 million extension before Lundqvist’s injury, was rewarded by the fans with the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, the first goalie to win the award since Lundqvist in 2005-2006. With Lundqvist and John Vanbiesbrouck, Talbot is just one of three goalies to win the award.

With the Rangers in a cap crunch, Talbot will likely be a cap casualty. The Rangers can get a competent backup at a lesser cap hit, and Talbot will get a chance to prove he can be a starter in this league. Edmonton or San Jose make the most sense for Talbot, as both teams need a goalie of his caliber.

The Rangers and their fans should be thankful and appreciative of the effort and results put forth by Talbot this year. Along with the three rookies, Talbot was a bright spot for the team this year.