After a heartbreaking end to the 2026-26 season, the Edmonton Oilers have their eyes set on a productive offseason to remedy some of the factors that contributed to the early elimination against the Anaheim Ducks.
This summer appears to be one of change, and the first man out the door appears to be a locker room favorite, who shared that he is bidding goodbye to the Oilers.
Calvin Pickard Reaches the End of the Road with the Edmonton Oilers
When the Oilers finally decided to find a permanent solution to the pesky goalie situation and acquired Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins, there were one too many goalies on the active roster. As the third goalie, Calvin Pickard could not play with the Oilers except in an emergency, leaving the franchise to demote the locker room favorite to the AHL.
In a further blow to the Oilers fraternity, Pickard now appears to have permanently parted ways with the franchise, posting a series of pictures on Instagram with the caption, “Thank you Edmonton.”
Pickard played his last game with the blue and orange squad on January 8 against the Winnipeg Jets, posting a .813 SV% in a win.
Alongside Stuart Skinner, Pickard was one half of the tandem that played a critical role in propelling the Oilers to two back-to-back Stanley Cup finals.
His demotion to the Bakersfield Condors triggered an emotional response from Leon Draisaitl. “I can’t shut off the emotions. He’s one of my best friends. I’m going to miss him no matter what,” Draisaitl said in the aftermath of Pickard being moved to the AHL (via Mark Spector).Â
Pickard was so wildly popular that he was recalled from the Bakersfield Condors in April 2026, even though neither Jarry nor Connor Ingram was injured at the time; the team thought it was a good idea to have a third goalie around. HC Kris Knoblauch also acknowledged his undeniable impact inside the locker room.
“At this point in the year, I believe every NHL team has three goaltenders and he was our guy right from the start that we were going to call up. I know how popular he is… it’s definitely nice having him back. There’s been a lot of smiles, just with interactions with him,” Knoblauch said.
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Edmonton’s goalie situation will be a storyline to keep an eye on this summer. Jarry is the only one under contract long term, but there’s little doubt that GM Stan Bowman will bring Connor Ingram back after he found his game in the second half of the year.
The free agency market is thin, which means Bowman will have to work the phones to swing a trade to upgrade between the pipes. Some of the options linked with the Oilers include Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson, St. Louis’s Jordan Binnington, and Florida Panthers veteran Sergei Bobrovsky.
