Report: Cam Talbot to sign one-year contract with Blue Jackets
In need of help behind standout starting goalie Jet Greaves, the Columbus Blue Jackets are reportedly closing in on a solution.
According to a report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Blue Jackets are on the verge of signing veteran Cam Talbot to a one-year contract with a salary cap hit of $950,000.
A reliable backup with extensive experience as a journeyman late in his career, Talbot is coming off a two-year stint with the Detroit Red Wings in which he served as the primary goalie in 2024-25 before backing up John Gibson last year.
Talbot made 34 appearances including 25 starts last year in the Motor City in which he posted a 12-9-6 record while turning aside shots at a .883 clip and allowing a goals against average of 3.19. For his career, which also includes stints with the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers, Talbot owns a .911 SV% and 2.69 GAA along with 278 wins and 33 shutouts.
Talbot will again be in the backup role with the Jackets, as Greaves has successfully established himself as the go-to guy for Rick Bowness between the pipes. The 25-year-old Canadian was strong last season, posting a .908 save percentage while handling a full workload of 55 appearances.
The need for more goaltending help in Ohio’s capital arose when it was announced that incumbent backup Elvis Merzlikins had undergone shoulder surgery and that there was no timeline for his return. Merzlikins worked 30 games for Columbus last year to the tune of a .883 SV% and 3.22 GAA.
Columbus is looking to continue to improve under Bowness, who sparked a huge turnaround upon his hiring last season and even led the Blue Jackets to hold a playoff spot for awhile before a late-season slump caused them to miss the postseason for the sixth consecutive year.
Columbus will get its 2026-27 season started by hosting the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 1.
