With uncertainty surrounding the health of goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, the Blue Jackets are reportedly signing veteran Cam Talbot to a one-year contract later this afternoon. TSN's Pierre LeBrun first broke the news via X:
Hearing the Blue Jackets will be signing UFA veteran goalie Cam Talbot, 39, to a one-year deal ($950k) later today. Colleague @Aportzline speculated in his piece today that this might possibly happen.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 14, 2026
A veteran of 567 career NHL games spread across 8 organizations, the 39-year-old Talbot should be a welcome addition to a somewhat thin goaltending position for the Blue Jackets. He will come to camp hoping to earn the backup job ahead of UFA signee Pheonix Copley.
Most recently, Talbot played in 34 games (25 starts) for the Detroit Red Wings last season, where he posted a 12-9-6 record behind a .883% save percentage and 3.19 goals against average. In what became a down year for the entire organization, his numbers took a big dip from his previous season.
In 2024-25, he played in 47 games (43 starts), posting much better numbers: .901%, 2.93GAA, 21-19-5 record and two shutouts. The Blue Jackets hope to salvage some of that skill, which has his career save percentage at .911%.
A signal that Elvis might be out long-term.
This signing points to a greater concern surrounding Elvis Merzlikins, who was set to serve as one of the team's two goaltenders this season. He had shoulder surgery last month, and has not yet returned to Columbus for his preseason physical.
By signing Talbot, the Blue Jackets may have signalled to us all that Elvis may be out longer-term. That's bad news for the organization, but even worse news for the player. He needs to have a bounce-back season to earn another contract next summer, when he will be a UFA.
Hopefully, Elvis makes a speedy and full recovery, and gets a chance to come back and do just that. In the meantime, we will have to await the full terms of Talbot's deal, which is reported to be at just $950k. If he plays the entire season in Columbus, that number could go up.
As an over-35 player, he is eligible to sign a bonus-laden contract that could push that value up the scale a ways. This is the kind of situation that I'm sure he was waiting for when he went through the entire summer without signing a contract for the new season.
If he can come in and hold the fort down for 25 or 30 games this season, he could earn himself some nice bonuses. That has to be the plan for the Blue Jackets, who will need to rely on Jet Greaves for an even greater share of the workload this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google