Wild’s Guerin has blunt answer to Talbot’s reaction following agent statement

There seems to be some misunderstanding on how goalie Cam Talbot feels about his teammate and tandem partner Marc-Andre Fleury’s new contract with the Minnesota Wild. On Thursday ahead of the NHL Draft, the Wild re-signed Fleury to a two-year contract carrying a $3.5 million cap hit.

Moments after the first round of the Draft, Wild general manager Bill Guerin explained that he will need to talk with Talbot ahead of the regular season. He wants to make sure the goalie is comfortable with 50-50 tandem. As insider Micheal Russo of The Athletic reports, Talbot and Flower have great relationship, but Guerin spoke with Talbot’s agent, who voiced some dismay over the situation.

Talbot’s agent George Bazos spoke with Guerin on Friday during the third round and stated: “We both stated our positions,’’ Bazos said via text message to insider Pierre LeBrun.” Billy has a lot to think about.’’

The agent’s statement went viral with fans thinking this might lead to a Talbot trade out of Minnesota, however, Guerin had quite the blunt answer to Michael Russo of the Athletic when it was brought up.

“I don’t have shit to do. Cam Talbot’s under contract. George can say whatever the hell he wants. My team’s set right now, and that’s the way it goes. We can have all the discussions we want. Cam’s a member of our team. We really like Cam. All we’re trying to do is win.”

That’s pretty clear. It’s been said more than once that Talbot wants to stay in Minnesota and that he loves Fleury as a teammate. Talbot, who went 32–12–4 with the Wild in 2021–22, is signed through the end of 2022–23 at a $3.5 million cap hit. Fleury posted a 28–23–5 record, four shutouts, and a .908 save percentage in 56 games with the Wild and Chicago Blackhawks during the 2021–22 regular season. That looks pretty good to me in between the pipes in Minny!

Talbot’s frustration could instead be coming from the fact that Fleury, who is 37 years old, is making more money than he does thanks to his new deal.