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Several forwards and defensemen have already spoken at the Kings 2023-24 player exit interviews. Now it’s time to hear from a goalie. First up, veteran netminder Cam Talbot shared the following thoughts…
Talbot on not getting the start in Game 4 or 5:
It’s tough. You want to be the guy in the playoffs that pulls you back into the series, but I also understand when the games don’t go your way and you’re giving up that many goals, sometimes you have to make a change. They did what they thought was best for the team.
On the possibility of coming back to LA next season:
I’d love to come back. As well as the rest of the year went for me, personally, being part of this group was as good as I could have expected it to be coming from a down year last year, getting hurt a few times. Being completely healthy this year, playing the amount of games that I played, I think I proved that I still have a lot left in the tank; which I wasn’t always so sure about that after last year. Last year was tough for me. So, to come in here and play the way I did and be a part of this group Was a ton of fun. I had a great time with these guys and it ended way too early. But I would still love to be back, for sure.
On how much of that positive experience is tied to the goaltending staff:
A lot of it, to be honest. From the start of training camp, working with Billy [Ranford] and [Mike Buckley], the whole goalie group – Copper, Ritter, and even just the young guys during training camps and stuff like that. We have such a great group. Working with Bucks all year was, I can’t say enough good things about him. He helped my game, he always made it fun to come to the rink every day, which isn’t always the case. Sometimes when things weren’t going so well through the middle of the season, there was never panic or any kind of negativity coming from him. He always made it fun to come to the rink every day. You just wanted to be better and work for him. I give him a ton of credit, for sure.
On if his workload was too much and/or if he’d like to see his workload deployed differently next year:
I don’t know. It’s hard to say because when you’re getting those starts and things are rolling, you want to be in there every day. Taking games off doesn’t really cross your mind when things are going well. It’s when things aren’t going well you start to question that stuff. Looking back, I think that I played probably the perfect amount of games. Like I said [during training camp], I wanted to play between 50 and 55. I thought that’s what my body could do. And, honestly, I feel like I could do that again next year. I feel this is the best I’ve felt heading into an off-season in a really long time, physically and mentally. So, I’d love to be somewhere in that range again. Obviously, it’s up to the coaches to deploy the games and stuff like that, and come up with the schedule. I still love being in there every night, especially when things are going well. So it’s tough in those moments to say, ‘Hey I need a night off’ because you just want to be in there every day as a competitor.
On the difficulty, as a goalie, facing Edmonton’s power play:
It’s tough. They’ve been together for a long time now and they know exactly where they’re going to be and there’s just so much movement and rotation. They just always seem to make something out of nothing sometimes too. It’s not always the up and over one-timer kind of thing. They’re just always constantly moving. You’re always having to take your ice awareness and stuff like that. They showed how dangerous they can be when you give them that many opportunities. They’re a couple of the best players in the world for a reason. They make everyone around them better. Then you put those other guys out there with them and it’s a recipe for disaster if you give them any opportunities. And they took full advantage.
More on the power play:
I don’t really know what else to say about that other than what I just touched on. They’ve come up to the winning formula and those two are special players who also make everyone around them better. If something doesn’t work out, they’ve always got another play-up their sleeve somehow. We just didn’t really have an answer for it. I thought we did a pretty good job of it throughout the regular season. Come playoff time, just couldn’t find a way. [Stopping it] is easier said than done, for sure. You can say, ‘We can’t give them that many opportunities’ but there’s going to be penalties throughout a game, so you have to find a way to kill them. We weren’t able to kill enough of them.
On what it’s like for a goalie to play behind the 1-3-1:
It makes it a lot easier on us, that’s for sure. Throughout the season, we were one of the best defensive teams in the league for a reason. I think it has a lot to do with their discipline and commitment to that style. I thought that even throughout the five games in the playoffs, 5-on-5 we did pretty well. We just gave up too many goals on the power play and that was our Achilles heel. But, defensively, I thought that we were great all season long and the numbers show that.
On how much a potential change in systems or coaching would impact his decision to return to LA, if given the opportunity to sign a new contract with the Kings:
I don’t think it would impact that. I’d still want to come back, for sure. The personnel in the room, if they even were to change the style of play, we still have the personnel in our room to play a very good defensive game — whether it’s 1-2-2 or 1-3-1. I don’t think it really matters what style we play. I think that this group will still be one of the best defensive teams and I’d still like to come back and be a part of that.
On what he is going to prioritize when making a decision on his next contract (i.e. term, location, etc.):
Opportunity to win. Obviously, that’s a big one for me at this point in my career. I haven’t won yet; I would love to before I’m done. Stability would be probably number two on the list. I think for myself, my family, we’ve moved a lot lately. Seven teams in eleven years, I’d like to limit that number and keep it at seven for a little while. That would be kind of nice for me.
On if his preference would be to sign a multi-year extension:
Yeah, that would be ideal. I’m not sure what the team has in store or anything like that as a plan. But for me personally, I would love multi-year, for sure. At this point, stability for my family, not having to uproot the kids and stuff like that would be nice.
On the possibility of taking a less than market AAV to help the team next season, in exchange for stability:
I haven’t really talked about that at all with my agent or anything like that. Obviously, this team is going to have some other tough choices to make, as far as re-signing guys and having flexibility, and stuff like that. Hopefully it can all work out for the best. I just hope that I’m part of that plan.
On this being the end of the season:
It’s always tough when the season ends. And this is way too early. Like I said earlier, I had such a great time coming in here and being part of this group. We thought we had a special group from the start. Probably one of the best dressing rooms I’ve been a part of in my career. I love playing here. Not just for the weather and stuff like that, but the group of guys here. It’s pretty special and it’s just nice to be a part of that. It really sucks, for lack of a better word, that it ended so quickly.
On what went so well for the Kings early in the season:
It’s tough to limit it to just one thing. I think obviously our trip to Australia was probably huge, especially for myself. Coming in, as a new guy, really getting to know the guys on a trip like that is pretty specially. Guys say ‘team bonding’ and all that kind of stuff, it goes a long way when you we get on the road for 10-12 days with the guys to start the year. You really start to become like family almost. There’s something to be said for that. The best teams I’ve ever been a part of have that identity, it’s like a family in the room. Everyone wants to be their best for the guy next to them. I think that was a big part of it; just getting on the road and having that bonding really helped us hit the ground running when the regular season started up.
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