A Winning Habit
Fansided

5 Goalies Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin Should Pursue In Free Agency

By Teddy Elliot

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 05: Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks minds the net against the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center on March 05, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 05: Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks minds the net against the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center on March 05, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next

Cam Talbot

Montreal Canadiens
CALGARY, AB – FEBRUARY 21: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images) /

2019-2020 season stats: 26 GP – 12 W – 10 L – 1 OTL – 2 SO – 2.63 GAA – 0.919 SV%

The weight of expectation rested heavily on Cam Talbot‘s shoulders after being traded for three draft picks to be the Edmonton Oilers starting goalie in 2015-16.

After helping lead the team to the playoffs in 2016-17, Talbot’s career took a steep dive and saw him shipped out of Edmonton in exchange for Anthony Stolarz. Left adrift in free agency, the Flames took a chance on Talbot, and he posted respectable numbers this year backing up David Rittich and looked pretty decent in the NHL bubble.

Once again, Talbot finds himself in search of a job, and the Habs might just have one for him.

The question is, can the Montreal Canadiens rely on Talbot to be as consistent as he needs to be? Or will he fall back into old habits?

Though Talbot shouldn’t be Marc Bergevin’s first choice, he should be given a shot for at least one season if all other options fail.

Thomas Greiss

Montreal Canadiens
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 10: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

2019-2020 season stats: 31 GP – 16 W – 9 L – 4 OTL – O SO – 2.74 GAA – 0.913 SV%

The longtime New York Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss would be an incredible choice for a backup goalie because of his consistency and experience.

Only once in his career has Greiss posted a sub-0.900 save percentage, and considering he’s been on some truly awful Islanders teams, that’s pretty impressive. The 34-year-old netminder also has the benefit of a career overall winning record.

And it seems that with Semyon Varlamov and KHL-wunderkind Ilya Sorokin pencilled in as the Islanders’ goalies for next season, Greiss will certainly command a lot of interest from teams that are in a similar situation as the Montreal Canadiens.

Though the Habs would be wise not to overpay a 34-year-old goalie, having someone with Greiss’s track record and experience holding guard until one of the team’s younger goalies are ready would seem to be worth every penny.

Home/Editorials