Talbot, a Caledonia, Ontario, native, did not take a normal route from Canada to an NHL career.

When he made his League debut on Oct. 24, 2013, with the New York Rangers, Talbot became the second NHL player to come out of the University of Alabama-Huntsville (former Philadelphia Flyers forward Jared Ross was the first). He played three seasons for the Chargers, helping them win the College Hockey America championship in 2010 and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

The 6-foot-3, 193-pound goaltender signed with the Rangers as an undrafted free agent on March 30, 2010 and spent the bulk of the next few seasons in the American Hockey League before playing 21 games for New York in 2013-14, when he backed up Henrik Lundqvist.

When Lundqvist was sidelined in February 2015, Talbot stepped in and played superbly, going 16-4-3 and helping to propel New York to an NHL-best 113 points that season.

Talbot's stretch of excellence caught the attention of the Edmonton Oilers, who traded three second-round draft picks to New York for him on June 27, 2015. After playing for the Oilers, Flyers, Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, Talbot was traded to the Ottawa Senators on July 12, 2022. He split time with Marc-Andre Fleury for the Wild after Fleury was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline.

Talbot signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2023, and a two-year, $5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1, 2024.