5 players who should be serious Hart Trophy candidates but won’t

Cam Talbot, Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings have experienced perhaps the biggest roller coaster of a season among all playoff contenders not named the Edmonton Oilers, but Cam Talbot, for the most part, has been the one constant. While the Kings are 16th in goals scored throughout their first 81 games, they are fourth in goals allowed, and Cam Talbot’s consistency throughout the year is one major reason why. 

In his latest season, Talbot posted a so-so 26-20-6 record, but he also added three shutouts to a 0.915 save percentage, a 2.47 GAA, and a healthy 0.627 quality starts percentage. What’s even more amazing is that Talbot was coming off of a not-so-hot campaign in Ottawa, where his GAA sat at 2.93 and his save percentage dipped to 0.898. 

Anyway, let’s stay in the present, and with one more game to go at the time of this writing, Talbot has also allowed just eight goals above expected at even strength. He’s also posted a 0.914 save percentage while opponents were on the power play, allowing just 21 goals on 243 shots. In case you were wondering, the save percentage is the best mark of his career since the 2013-14 season.