The New York Rangers are likely looking at quite the haul once they finally pull the trigger on a Cam Talbot trade.
Despite a recent report that Talbot's contract, viewed favorably by most considering his cap hit is just $1.45 million for 2015, was actually a hindrance to a deal due to the fact that he isn't able to negotiate an extension until 2016, it seems the Rangers are already fielding significant trade offers.
According to the latest report, Talbot is being pursued heavily by the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres and Rangers GM Glen Sather has already rejected at least one offer which would make fans in New York pretty happy.
"He's the focus, I'm told, of the Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres, but they still have to find a way to get a deal done. I'm not certain of what has been offered from Edmonton's perspective. I'm told that there was a team that offered two second round picks for Cam Talbot and that didn't close the deal," TSN NHL Insider Darren Dreger said Tuesday, while appearing on Edmonton's TSN 1260, via TodaysSlapShot.com.
"So Sather and Jeff Gorton and management types of the New York Rangers are still on a bit of a fishing expedition. But I still think that a deal gets done and Edmonton is absolutely near the top of the list for Talbot."
With King Henrik Lundqvist firmly entrenched as the starter for the Blueshirts, Talbot's simply not going to see the ice unless and until Lundqvist suffers some type of major injury - of course, part of the reason Talbot is such a hot commodity right now is the fact that Lundqvist took a puck to the neck and missed over 30 regular season games last year.
Still, while the merits of keeping Talbot as Lundqvist's backup versus dealing him could be argued all day, it seems a moot point as Sather has clearly made him available and is now doing his best to reap the greatest potential reward.
If two second-round picks won't do it - though Dreger didn't make clear whether they were both in the 2015 NHL Draft, potentially lessening the perceived value of the offer - it's likely at least a first-rounder or some significant package of picks and established players will get the deal done for Sather.
"The Rangers recognize that he's a valuable piece," said Dreger. "He's got another year left at 1.45. He's proven that he can be an excellent 1A goaltender. He came in long term in place of Henrik Lundqvist last season, who had some injury issues, obviously. And he proved that it appears he's ready to be a starter."
