Cam Talbot out five to seven weeks; Senators claim Magnus Hellberg on waivers

According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, Ottawa Senators goalie Cam Talbot will miss more than a month with an upper-body injury.

Fellow goaltender Anton Forsberg will be heavily relied on to keep the team afloat until Talbot returns. Forsberg earned the starter job last season, finishing with a record of 22-17-4 and a .917 save percentage.

In a related piece of news, the Senators have picked up goalie Magnus Hellberg on waivers from the Seattle Kraken.

The Talbot news is a blow following an offseason which has been dubbed “The Summer of Pierre,” Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion went out and acquired three key pieces for the team’s future. First, he made a splash by trading for superstar goal-scorer Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks. Then, in an unexpected move, he traded the former Senators’ goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for veteran netminder Cam Talbot. Dorion capped off the offseason with the free agency signing of Claude Giroux to a three-year contract.

Unfortunately for the Sens, they will be without Talbot for roughly the first month of the season. Talbot played the 2021-22 season for the Minnesota Wild. He entered the season as the starter but ultimately lost his job to Marc-Andre Fleury, who was traded there at the deadline. Through 49 games, Talbot posted a remarkable 32-12-4 record along with a .911 save percentage.

Hellberg is a journeyman 31-year-old goalie who has four NHL games under his belt. Although he doesn’t quite have the NHL pedigree of most other backups, he has a wealth of experience at the AHL and KHL level. Hellberg has played the last five seasons in the KHL, posting solid numbers every season.

Hellberg’s career record in the KHL is 81-64-14 along with 22 playoff games. He will be the stop-gap in Ottawa ensuring Mads Sogaard can continue his development with the Belleville Senators.