Talbot Signed Elsewhere. Minnesota's Crease Is Now Wallstedt's Alone.

Cam Talbot signed a one-year deal with Columbus on Thursday, and whatever thin comfort his presence offered Minnesota's goaltending situation is now gone. Talbot spent time with the Wild and knows the organization. He also just walked out the door to a team that needed him, which is entirely his right — but the timing stings a little in St. Paul.

The context matters. Filip Gustavsson, who briefly moved to day-to-day status on September 12, has since reverted to out following what appears to be a setback in his hip surgery recovery. I noted two weeks ago that opening night without him was the likely scenario. That's now the certain one. With Talbot off the board, there's no obvious veteran safety net left, and the organization is committed — by circumstance if not entirely by design — to Jesper Wallstedt as its starter from game one.

That's not automatically a disaster. The Wild invested in their goaltending pipeline for a reason, and Wallstedt has been the plan in waiting for a while now. But there's a difference between a prospect stepping in as the starter with a veteran behind him and a prospect stepping in as the starter, full stop. Minnesota is now in the second situation. Training camp begins with Hynes's extension signed, Hughes's extension unsigned, and the crease belonging entirely to a young goaltender who hasn't carried a full NHL season yet. The roster has enough in front of him — Faber logging heavy minutes, Coleman and Maatta added up front — to give Wallstedt a fighting chance. He's going to need it.