Although the Detroit Red Wings did not secure a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, goalie Cam Talbot remains optimistic about the team’s future. Reflecting on the season during his end-of-season media session on April 19, Talbot acknowledged the disappointment but emphasized progress made after a midseason coaching change.
“It’s never an easy time of the year when you don’t accomplish what you want to accomplish at the start of the season,” Talbot said. “Definitely disappointing, the way it ended. We made some strides towards the end of the year and from Christmas on when the coaching change happened. I think that’s something we can build off heading into next year.”
Talbot joined Detroit last summer with a two-year free-agent contract and quickly became a key player for both his performance and leadership. He led all Red Wings goalies in games played (47), wins (21), save percentage (.901), shutouts (2), shots against (1,295), saves (1,167), and time on ice (2642:10).
“We look at Cam’s season, he did very well,” commented Steve Yzerman, Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager, on April 29. “We’re pleased. He met expectations for us.”
In 2024-25, Talbot reunited with head coach Todd McLellan, appointed by Detroit on December 26. The two previously worked together with other teams.
While acknowledging challenges associated with midseason coaching changes, Talbot noted improvements under McLellan’s guidance: “Maybe the numbers didn’t always tell the story, but I thought our penalty kill did get better throughout the season… Communication and accountability, on and off the ice… You could tell when they came in things started to change.”
Talbot also highlighted growth among younger players like Mo Seider, Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson as well as Lucas Raymond and captain Dylan Larkin: “You can see strides this team is making… The growth within room was fun to see.”
