Calvin Pickard’s Patience: Navigating the Oilers’ Three-Goalie Dilemma
There’s a quiet kind of resilience that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Calvin Pickard is living it right now.
The veteran goaltender, currently slotted third on the Edmonton Oilers’ depth chart, isn’t getting many starts these days - and he knows exactly why. With Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram both stepping up in net, Pickard has found himself in a tough spot: still with the team, still grinding in practice, but watching games from the sidelines.
“It’s been tough,” Pickard admitted. “It’s been painful, for sure.”
Even as the Oilers have allowed just three goals across their last four games, they’ve only managed to split those contests 2-2. The defense has tightened up, the goaltending has been solid, but Pickard hasn’t seen the ice since January 8 - a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets where he made 13 saves on 16 shots. That victory feels like a long time ago now.
The Oilers’ current goalie tandem of Jarry and Ingram is a far cry from the one that opened the season. Both are delivering strong performances, and that’s made Pickard the odd man out - not because of a lack of effort, but because the numbers game and cap constraints have painted him into a corner.
On Tuesday night, Edmonton could only dress 11 forwards, unable to call anyone up due to salary cap limitations tied to keeping Pickard on the roster. It’s a tough tradeoff, but the team values having him around - not just as insurance, but as a locker room presence. Head coach Kris Knoblauch made that clear.
“We wouldn’t have been in the Stanley Cup Finals two years in a row without him,” Knoblauch said. “He’s won a lot of important hockey games for us. Not only that, he’s a fantastic teammate, someone who means a lot to the guys in the room.”
Still, the reality is what it is. Pickard’s numbers this season - a .871 save percentage and 3.68 goals against average - haven’t helped his case. He’s the first to admit he hasn’t played his best hockey.
“I don’t love how it got to this point, but I get it,” Pickard said. “I can’t be boiling mad coming to the rink every day, because that’ll just be counterproductive for what I need to do.
I don’t like it. I’m not having fun with it, but I’m still coming to work every day, working hard… Because you never know what’s going to happen.
I have to be ready for my next opportunity.”
That opportunity doesn’t appear to be coming soon. With the Oilers in the middle of a homestand that stretches into February, and Jarry and Ingram both playing well - including back-to-back shutouts over the weekend - Pickard’s role remains limited to practice and preparation.
But don’t mistake his professionalism for passivity.
“I have conversations with the coaching staff and different things, maybe a little bit more stern. But as a teammate, nothing changes for me,” Pickard said.
“You never know - I could be right back in there at some point here soon. But yeah, it does suck, for sure.
But don’t feel bad for me. I’ve been through it before.
I’m going to be 34 soon, and I’ve seen all these kinds of situations.”
He’s not wrong. Pickard has been through the ups and downs of NHL life before.
He knows the grind, the uncertainty, and the importance of staying ready. And the Oilers, for their part, aren’t eager to move on from him either.
According to reports, Edmonton plans to keep Pickard around “as long as they can,” even if it means dressing a shorthanded lineup. The risk of losing him on waivers is real - teams looking for a proven backup with playoff experience would no doubt take a hard look. That’s why, for now, the Oilers are holding steady, even if it complicates the nightly lineup.
The team is also navigating injuries and absences. Kasperi Kapanen could return as early as Saturday, while Leon Draisaitl remains on personal leave, with a possible return later in the week. Either player coming back would allow the Oilers to dress a full complement of forwards again, easing the roster crunch - at least temporarily.
In the meantime, Knoblauch is managing Jarry’s return from injury carefully, not wanting to overload him with too many starts too soon. Stuart Skinner is expected to start Wednesday against Calgary, which likely rules him out for Thursday’s game versus Pittsburgh.
That leaves the Oilers juggling not just goaltenders, but timelines, cap space, and roster slots - all while trying to climb the standings. And in the middle of it all is Calvin Pickard, showing up, staying sharp, and waiting for his next shot.
He may not be in the crease right now, but make no mistake: Pickard’s still playing an important role. And if the past two seasons have taught the Oilers anything, it’s that having a dependable third option in net can make all the difference when the games matter most.