Monday Goalie Ramblings: News On Cam Talbot, Juuse Saros, Sam Ersson And More

Welcome fantasy managers to another edition of the Monday Goalie Ramblings. My name is Mike Ouellet and I am thrilled to be joining the team here at Goalie Post and look forward to bringing you the Ramblings every second Monday. My goal is to provide you all with some helpful information and direction as it pertains to the leagues goaltending along with some of my own general thoughts thrown into the mix.

Before we get to it, I wanted to take a moment to thank Dobber as well as Managing Editor Michael Amato for giving me the opportunity and platform to share my views on NHL goaltending and how that may help you win your fantasy league.

With the formalities now out of the way, let’s get into it!

Los Angeles Kings Dethroned?

Things were going so well for the Los Angeles Kings to start the season. As of December 5, the Kings were sporting a record of 15-4-3, were undefeated on the road and Cam Talbot was the owner of a sparkling 11-4-1 record with a 1.93 GAA and .930 SV%. Since that time, the Kings have gone 7-11-7 with Talbot cratering during that span to the tune of a 3-9-4 record accompanied by an inflated 3.06GAA and .892SV%.

Suffice to say he has not been of any help to fantasy managers in the past month and with the injury to Pheonix Copley, AHL call up David Rittich (4-1-3 2.09 GAA .920 SV%) has outplayed Talbot to the point where he is stealing starts from the Kings defacto #1. Granted, the offense has dried up, which doesn’t help matters but with that said, it’s certainly no reach to believe that general manager Rob Blake has been on the lookout for a possible upgrade in goal to help spell Talbot’s workload in the second half. Keep in mind that over the past six seasons Talbot has never started more than 48 games in any one year (he’s currently at 32GP).

I do foresee the Kings making a move before this year's trade deadline to shore things up in net which leads me to this conclusion. Aside from potential spot starts against some of the league's weaker teams (even then it’s a bit of a gamble), I would steer clear of the LA Kings netminders in favour of more consistent/reliable options at the position.

Could Juuse Saros Really Be On The Move?

I know, it seems unlikely that the Nashville Predators would deal the 28-year old netminder but there is merit to making such a bold move with where this team is at in its current cycle.

First and foremost, with Juuse Saros’ cap hit coming in at a very manageable $5M AAV plus the fact you would be acquiring him for conceivabley two playoff runs, one would think the Predators could net themselves a massive return to help kick start a rebuild/retool.

Hence the reason Barry Trotz has been at the very least fielding calls on the Preds #1 goaltender. Sure, Saros has not had the greatest of seasons statistically (19-18-1 2.91 GAA .904 SV%), however, his value still remains high in both the eyes of the organization as well as any of his potential suitors.

All that being said, there is also the matter of one Yaroslav Askarov (16-6-1 2.18 GAA .921 SV% in the AHL Milwaukee) who looms large when it comes to the Predators future (and perhaps present) and will very much factor in to any decision the club may make.

From a fantasy perspective, Saros’ talent alone makes him a desirable commodity and he continues to be a reliable source for wins even with his peripheral stats taking a hit this year. If Trotz does decide to pull the trigger, one would figure his value would only go up on a contending team.

Goaltending (Roy)alty Makes Its Way To Long Island

Patrick Roy is back behind an NHL bench, this time as Head Coach of the New York Islanders. After the dismissal of Lane Lambert, the Hall of Fame goaltender is tasked with turning things around on the Island and reinjecting the team's identity as a sound defensive club.

Star Goaltender Ilya Sorokin (14-12-9 3.17 GAA, .909 SV%) struggled mightily in the first half, easily posting the worst numbers of his NHL career. This of course is more a by-product of the team's defensive play, as they currently rank 31st in suppressing shots against, giving up almost 35 per game. The injury to veteran netminder Semyon Varlamov certainly did not help matters any, as the team was forced to rely heavily on Sorokin in his absence.

I do believe that with the arrival of Roy as coach, that the team's defensive structure and attention to detail will improve in the second half. Look for both Sorokin and Varlamov to reap the benefits of the coach’s new systems and offer greater value moving forward as the team's play improves.

Sam Ersson Thrust Into #1 Role In Philadelphia

Philadelphia Flyers rookie standout Sam Ersson (12-9-3 2.60 GAA, .898 SV%) is about to find out what it’s like to be a true #1 with news that Carter Hart has been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the team. Ersson has fared rather well in what is basically a timeshare with the aforementioned Hart, even outplaying him to this point in the season.

John Tortorella can certainly be more than abrasive at times but has shown his confidence in the young Ersson on multiple occasions this year and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Unless of course, the team brings in a veteran to add some depth in Hart's absence.

Expectations should be tempered however as it is yet to be determined if the Flyers will be buyers or sellers at this year's trade deadline thus, affecting the netminder's value. That being said, until the organization brings in some goaltending depth, expect the youngster to be relied on heavily over the second half of the season.

Be sure to pick up Dobber’s annual mid-season guide for projections, sleepers and historical trends to help your fantasy team surge in the second half of the season here

Thanks for reading and feel free to follow me on X @mikeouellet9

See you all again next Monday!