Fantasy - Faceoff: Cam Talbot vs. Martin Jones

Throughout the offseason, we'll be pitting players of interest against one another to determine who you should target in fantasy hockey drafts.

A trio of summer trades put a pair of NHL goalies in line to prove their worth as bona fide starters in 2015-16.

Martin Jones found himself traded by the Los Angeles Kings to the Boston Bruins, who then flipped him back to California in a deal with the San Jose Sharks.

Rather than be buried behind the likes of Jonathan Quick and Tuukka Rask, he'll be called upon to replace Antti Niemi and get the Sharks back to the playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers targeted Cam Talbot as their man, acquiring him from the New York Rangers after a strong run backing up and filling in for Henrik Lundqvist last season.

Both goalies look like numbers ones based on their career numbers, albeit with a small sample size as evidence.

Career Stats

As an addendum, both goalies also posted high-level even strength percentages, with Jones (93.15) trailing Talbot (93.72) by a slim margin.

Talbot, therefore, brings a touch more experience and slightly better numbers to the table, and the President's Trophy-winning Rangers didn't miss a beat when Lundqvist missed significant time due to injury early in 2015.

Suiting up for the Oilers, however, is a whole different challenge, despite significant offseason additions to their roster.

Connor McDavid is sure to help push the puck north, while Andrej Sekera and Griffin Reinhart will attempt to lock things down in the defensive zone. The Oilers, however, are still the same old Oilers until they prove otherwise. Only time will tell if the improvements made by new general manager Peter Chiarelli can help make up the minus-85 goal differential posted by last year's team.

Talbot will likely raise Edmonton's horrible .888 team save percentage, but there's no telling where his win total will land, meaning he remains a gamble for fantasy managers.

Jones, on the other hand, is stepping into a somewhat more favorable situation, even if, like his old team, San Jose fell flat in 2014-15.

They did, however, add one of the better available free agent defensemen in Paul Martin to help right the ship. He joins a corps that already features Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Brenden Dillon, all of whom were positive possession players last season and helped keep the Sharks goal differential at a 20th-ranked minus-four.

Jones also has the advantage of already having played in the competitive Pacific Division, giving him a leg up on Talbot in terms of knowing what to expect from regular opponents.

The Oilers are undoubtedly a team on the rise, and Talbot is likely to help stabilize an area of need while posting decent numbers and providing solid fantasy value as a mid- to late-round pick.

Jones, though, has the benefit of joining a more established roster, albeit one standing on its last legs. Still, the veteran experience and better overall team defense should serve him well, giving Jones the opportunity to become a fantastic option in fantasy leagues once the elite-level players are off the board.