The Edmonton Oilers made a notable move on Sunday, as they placed goaltender Calvin Pickard on waivers. This was after the 33-year-old fell down the Oilers’ goalie depth chart, as Connor Ingram undoubtedly passed him due to his strong play since being called up.
Pickard’s struggles throughout this season also did him no favors when it came to him trying to keep his spot on Edmonton’s NHL roster. The 2010 second-round pick has a 5-6-2 record, a .871 save percentage, and a 3.68 goals-against average in 16 games this season. He has also not played in a game for the Oilers since their Jan. 8 contest against the Winnipeg Jets, where he stopped 13 out of 16 shots in a win.
Yet, with Pickard having success in recent seasons with the Oilers, it seemed possible that another club would claim him off waivers when it was announced that he hit the wire. This is especially so when noting that he has an easily affordable $1 million cap hit for the remainder of this season. However, the Oilers now officially do not need to worry about that.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Pickard has cleared waivers. With this, he will continue to be a part of the Oilers’ goalie depth, and this is a good thing.
Pickard Will Continue to be Veteran Depth Option for Oilers
With Pickard passing through waivers unclaimed, the Oilers will now continue to have him around for extra insurance. This is certainly not a bad thing, as injuries can happen throughout the season. Thus, Pickard will give the Oilers another option with NHL experience should one of their goalies get hurt or struggle.
Furthermore, Pickard’s past success also makes him stand out as a potential bounce-back candidate. During this past season with the Oilers, he had a 22-10-1 record and a .900 save percentage. This is after he had a 12-7-1 record and a .909 save percentage in 23 games for the Oilers in 2023-24. With this, it is not a bad thing that he will continue to be a part of the Oilers’ system.
Pickard will now be looking to make an impact with the Oilers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, after clearing waivers. This will be a good opportunity for him to try to regain some confidence at the AHL level.
This news also comes with the 2026 NHL Olympic trade freeze right around the corner. From Feb. 4 to Feb. 22, no teams are allowed to make trades. With this, Pickard will continue to be a part of the Oilers organization with the roster freeze almost here.
Oilers Need Big Bounce-Back Game After Ugly Loss to Wild
Following this Pickard news, the Oilers will now be focusing on putting together a bounce-back performance in their next contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. The Oilers suffered an ugly defeat to the Minnesota Wild in their last contest, as they lost by a 7-4 final score. This is certainly less than ideal for an Oilers club that has Stanley Cup goals, and they will now be aiming to turn things around against the Maple Leafs from here.
The Oilers will be facing off against an ice-cold Maple Leafs club, too. The Maple Leafs have lost eight out of their last 10 games, and it will be interesting to see if Edmonton can take advantage of that from here.
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