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," Talbot 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 an .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.
Rittich is signed through the 2020-21 campaign.
