Martin Jones or Cam Talbot????

[cfdickson]

I need to add a goalie in my 20 team keeper league. Goalie cats are wins, and GAA. Options available to me are Martin Jones, Cam Talbot, Mike Smith or a variety of back ups. We carry 2 goalies and they hard are to come by in this league. Any starter is almost a lock to be a keeper. My other tender is steve Mason. I would be using a really early draft pick to get Jones or Talbot, could hold off if taking a back up. Thanks for any advice.

[GoNucks]

Arizona could be better so you could do Smith & Mason for guys you know are #1, if you want to gamble Talbot above Smith.

[Pengwin7]

There was another thread on this.

I'm sort of torn.
To me, Cam Talbot is the big risk/ big reward.
IF he does well, he could be the goalie of the future on an EDM has all this enormous potential to go to the top the way old COL/CHI/PIT did in the last 20 years when stockpiling picks.

That said, he is on a one-year contract, then UFA.
If he shits the bed, it's one and done for Cam.

Conversely, Martin Jones is probably in a timeshare with Stalock.
He's got a longer contract though, so he's more secure.
But let's be honest - San Jose is on the decline in a tougher Western Conference and showed me nothing towards improving... unless Paul Martin is still considered a good defenseman.

Meh.
If your team is a top team, you may want to go safe and go M.Jones.

For me, it's GO BIG.
If Talbot becomes the future in EDM, it'll carry a lot of teams a long way!

[Dobber]

Talbot for me, but very close

[Instant Karma]

Talbot. Go big or go home.

[BranDOOM]

Talbot for me as well, I think after what he showed last year for the rangers you have to take a shot with him.
Completely different team obviously, but worth the risk if it pays out. Also Jones, while will given every shot at the starter role, will end up in a time share for sure.

[The Good Sir]

Very close in my eyes. I'd probably lean towards Talbot slightly, but he is definitely a riskier choice. Jones is a solid option too, but I agree that he'll probably be in a timeshare.

[cfdickson]

Thanks for the input everyone. I am definitely leaning towards Talbot, but I'm a big Oiler fan and didn't want to be picking him because of my biased. Good to see some other think he has a shot to do well too.

[Big Baby]

I'm in the minority here but I like Jones. He's going to a better team and will get more wins. And I think the gaa will be better on sj as well. I don't think that Edmonton is going to learn how to play team d over the course of an off season.

Talbot is the flashy pick but jones seems like the safe one.

[vmascarello]

You could certainly make a case for either guy. SJ invested solid money in to Jones, and I think he'll become the #1 by season's end. With the certainty of his multi-year deal, theres a higher floor and still a good amount of upside to become the guy.

With Talbot he's in a make or break situation this year. If he shows he deserves to be a #1 and EDM extends him as that, then you may have a really valuable goalie because of what is expected of that team over the next few years. If he shows he's more of a 1A or backup, then he'll prob be back to that role next year somewhere else. So, his floor is certainly lower.

Based on Talbots's upside, I give him the slight edge and would choose him. But, if you want to play it conservative and still have a shot to get a future starter, you wouldnt be an idiot to roll with Jones.

[mounD]

Definitely prefer Talbot here.

[tomastop]

Talbot for me as well.

[havanablast21]

Another vote of confidence for talbot!

[Moses]

I have looked at this thread a few times without adding my two cents. I see this as a good old fashion coin flip. I cannot come out with a good argument that outweighs the other. Jones and talbot both have their good and bad points. If this is a cap pool I would want Jones because of the stability of his contract.

[YzermansLegacy]

Arizona could be better so you could do Smith & Mason for guys you know are #1, if you want to gamble Talbot above Smith.

This is exactly how I'd play it. Absolutely I'd want Smith in your position with a slight consideration to Talbot if you are a gambler (for the reasons Peng mentioned).

Here's why:
Coming into last season, there were a number of timeshares that we were all trying to pick the best guy out of. Niemi/Stalock in SJ, Kuemper/Backstrom in MIN, Scrivens/Fasth in EDM, Elliott/Allen in STL, Hiller/Ramo in CGY, etc.
Fast forward to this year, and how many of these guys are now the bonafide #1 on their teams? The Dubnyk's, Hammond's, Talbot's, Jones', Darling's, etc. emerge every year and wind up putting a wrinkle on the situations.
Smith is a clear cut #1 on a team that is likely improving a lot over the next few years. He's better than his numbers showed and with his contract, isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Is he a premium option in a W/GAA league? Um... no. Not at all. But in my eyes, he's as likely to become one in a couple of years as Talbot or Jones is. So short term, I prefer his stability and long term, I think he's at worst in the same ballpark, suggesting that Talbot and/or Jones buck the trend from last year and actually become a viable #1 on their team.