Former NHL netminder Mike McKenna provides his Daily Faceoff Starting Goalie Matchup of the Day for Mon. Feb. 27, 2023:

Why I like this matchup:

With the NHL trade deadline just four days away, Senators goaltender Cam Talbot might be the most attractive pending UFA available. And Magnus Hellberg is a great story. At 31 years old, he’s finally established himself as an NHL netminder.

What to watch for:

Talbot is intriguing for several reasons. He’s a quality netminder with Stanley Cup playoff experience. And he’s having a pretty good year behind a porous defense in Ottawa. Has he been a world-beater? No. But Talbot has always performed well when he’s on a good team. And there are several NHL franchises that could use a boost between the pipes.

I think Talbot is an effective goaltender largely because he reads the play well and presents big. He’s 6-foot-4 and plays like it. What Talbot lacks in skating ability or explosiveness is made up for with smarts. He anticipates well. The only question mark is that Talbot has had some injury trouble this season. I wonder if that scares off potential suitors.

Hellberg has only played nine games this year for the Red Wings, but in those outings, he’s allowed more than three goals only once. His workload hasn’t been easy, either. Hellberg has faced quality teams and most often played in back-to-back game scenarios.

It’s been a strange year for the 6-foot-6 netminder from Uppsala, Sweden. He started the season with the Seattle Kraken but was claimed off waivers by the Ottawa Senators. He was then claimed a second time by Detroit. 

I love that Hellberg has worked his way back to North America. He spent five seasons during his early 20’s trying to make the NHL full-time. Then, after five seasons in the KHL, he made his way back to North America at the end of the 2021-22 season with the Red Wings. This season has set the table for him to continue on in the NHL well into the future.

What fantasy owners should do:

Ottawa hasn’t been hospitable to goaltenders and Talbot is still just one game removed from missing time with injury. I wouldn’t start him. I think it’s worth playing Hellberg. He has allowed only four goals in his last 64 shots faced.

Bottom line for Magnus Hellberg:

If he can keep Ottawa’s power play from cashing in, it bodes well for the Red Wings.

Bottom line for Cam Talbot:

Tonight’s game is a showcase to other NHL teams. But the main concern is staying healthy.