A Cam Talbot trade by the New York Rangers seems something of an inevitability at this point.
Talbot is just entering his prime, is stuck behind King Henrik Lundqvist on the depth and played well in extended action this season, meaning the return on his services may never be higher.
It makes sense then, as Darren Dreger of TSN indicates, that a Talbot deal is likely in the offing sometime in the very near future.
"Talbot trade watch continues. Expect he gets traded this week. Buf, Edmtn, SJ and Dallas in the mix. Great contract requires high return," Dreger tweeted.
HNGN passed along a couple of reports last week that Talbot had become a "hot commodity" on the NHL trade market and that the Oilers and new GM Peter Chiarelli had shown special interest in landing the up-and-coming netminder.
It was revealed as part of those reports that Rangers GM Glen Sather was likely to make out like a bandit once he finally deals Talbot, potentially to the tune of a first-round pick and more.
According to a more recent report, Sather may not see such phenomenal value, even for a player in Talbot who is currently signed to a cheap deal and plays such an important position.
In fact, it may be that seemingly favorable deal which hinders Talbot's overall trade value for the Rangers.
"As for Cam Talbot, the toughest thing preventing the Rangers from getting the best possible price for him is that he's on a one-year contract with free agency beckoning," Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes. "Under CBA rules, he cannot be extended until Jan. 1, 2016. If teams knew they could do it in July, you could get permission to talk to him and have an idea of what you're looking at. That's not possible. He's still good value. But this gives the acquiring team less control."
At 27 and currently signed to a deal that will pay him peanuts - $1.45 million - after posting a 2.21 GAA and a .926 SV% in 2014-15, Talbot is an incredibly attractive trade option for goalie-needy teams.
While Friedman's assertion that the lack of control will give some teams pause when it comes to a deal for the current Ranger netminder, it's likely to prove little in the way of an impediment, especially considering the atrocious goaltending some of the interested teams were forced to endure in recent seasons.
Figuring out how to pay Talbot will be an issue, but if he plays well, it's one almost any NHL GM would consider a good problem to have.
