Talbot believes Senators are 'ready to make a push'

New Ottawa Senators goalie Cam Talbot joined TSN Radio 1200 Ottawa to talk about the trade that brought him over, his new teammates and his excitement for the season in Ottawa. 

The Senators acquired Talbot from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for goalie Filip Gustavsson on Wednesday.

This was one of a flurry of moves made by the Sens this offseason, including trading for Chicago Blackhawks star forward Alex DeBrincat and signing veteran forward Claude Giroux.

"I have [felt the excitement] through social media or even from some of the guys that have reached out," said Talbot 

"Everyone seems to be pretty excited right now and they should be. They've had such a good group of young core guys that they've drafted and developed lately." 

Ottawa played in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost in game seven to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017, but have missed the playoffs each of the last five seasons since and have finished last or second-last in their conference in each of those five campaigns.

 "It seems like those young guys are starting to get rewarded a bit and I think maybe they're signaling that the rebuild is over and they're ready to make a push," he said.

The 'young guys' include a very exciting group of forwards, including 2020 third-overall pick Tim Stutzle and 2018 fourth-overall pick Brady Tkachuk. Talbot is looking forward to the chance to help these players grow into NHL stars.

"The last couple teams I've been on I've been part of that leadership group with the captains, etc. I think it's obviously a very important role and one that I don't take lightly," said Talbot.

"I think with how young the group is, and a little bit of inexperience there, I hope I can bring some experience to any questions or situations that arise. I'm looking forward to that challenge and opportunity to be that guy for them," he said. 

Fans of the Senators are showing Talbot love for a different reason, which stems from a game played in 2016 while Talbot was a member of the Edmonton Oilers. 

Following a 2-0 defeat, Talbot stayed on the ice afterwards to clap for Craig Anderson, the first star of the game, who recorded a shutout in his first game back after taking time off to deal with his wife's cancer diagnosis. 

"People are making a big deal about that now that I'm on the team but to be honest at the time it just felt like the right thing to do," said Talbot. 

Talbot continued to elaborate on the significance of that game, saying "most people would never stay out and applaud the other team for getting first star but it felt right in the moment. I didn't expect it to be as big of a deal as it was made out to be, I just wanted to show my support throughout the situation and applaud a great performance. It's nice that it still resonates with people."

One question that still stands with Talbot, who is entering his age-35 season, is what kind of meaningful minutes he can provide for a team looking to make a step forward towards the playoffs. 

"I still feel like I've got a lot of hockey left. I'm 35 years old but I still feel like I've got a lot left," he said.

"I still feel like I can play 50-55 games a year and feel very comfortable with that. ... I've got a lot of great hockey left in me and I'm looking forward to getting there and proving it."