Stuart Skinner has been supplanted as the Edmonton Oilers’ top goaltending option during the playoffs twice in as many seasons. Calvin Pickard has stepped up in Skinner’s stead and, in both cases, provided valuable contributions that helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
Pickard was especially effective last summer, as he picked up four wins between the pipes as the Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings in a six-game first-round series.
Despite his postseason heroics, Pickard’s days with the Oilers could be numbered, as NHL Trade Rumors’ Rob Couch predicts that the organization will part ways with the 33-year-old veteran before the 2025-26 regular season begins.
“The Edmonton Oilers’ clear weak point of their team has been goaltending and nothing has been done yet. The team still has Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, but that could very well change this offseason as the Oilers’ GM has been searching for younger options around the league and could even target someone like [Tristan] Jarry too,” Couch wrote. “There would be little need for Pickard when a goalie change happens and he is the most likely netminder to be moved based on age and potential. He should find himself in a backup role or as a third string soon enough.”
Pickard, the 49th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, primarily played as a backup goaltender for five NHL franchises — the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings — prior to joining the Oilers. Across 175 career regular-season appearances (including 144 starts), he is credited with a 69-71 record, 2.89 goals against average, .903 save percentage and five shutouts.
