Oilers 2025-26 Report Cards: Calvin Pickard – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

As the offseason continues, so do the grades of the Edmonton Oilers players. The final report card was filed in Leon Draisaitl’s section, and now we look at goaltender Calvin Pickard.

Pickard has had a solid run in Edmonton as a backup over the past few seasons. He saved the Oilers season more than once. Stuart Skinner struggled at times in the playoffs, so Pickard had to step in. In 2023-24, he started two playoff games after Skinner lost the crease against the Vancouver Canucks, and he did well. If he had not played well, the Oilers would have lost in the second round.

After that, he started seven playoff games in 2024-25, winning all of them, before an injury sidelined him. He has been part of the team many times and has been a big part of their success. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse this season, and he was borderline out of sorts. This is the “what have you done for me lately?” business, and Pickard was ineligible to play based on his recent performance. Let’s think about his bad time.

2025-26 Performance

Pickard had a terrible season. In 16 games, he had five wins with a 3.68 goals-against average (GAA) and a .871 save percentage (SV%). His last game in Edmonton was on Jan. 8 against the Winnipeg Jets. The organization kept him on the active roster as the third baseman for several weeks.

“It wasn’t my best season. I don’t like how it got to this point, but I get it. You never know, I might be back there at some point here soon. But yeah, it worries me, but don’t get me wrong. I’ve been through it. I’ll be 34 soon, and I’ve seen all these kinds of interviews with Markard 2.” Spector said on Jan 2. he practiced with the team and had no choice but to accept his new role in the press box. This has been a frustrating situation for the veteran netballer.

He was finally put on probation on February 1 and cleared. He reported to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) and spent the remainder of the regular season in the minors. The speedy netminder played in just eight games for the Condors, and his play didn’t improve. He posted a 3.36 GAA and .886 SV% in Bakersfield. He also joined the Oilers in the finals but it didn’t work out.

One Big Game Changed the Benefit Outlook

The biggest change in the Oilers’ scoring saga happened on Nov. 20 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Oilers got a great goal from Pickard. He was three minutes away from closing. Unfortunately, the Lightning tied the game at the end of the third period and won it in overtime.

Pickard was fighting for his job. If that start didn’t go well, you probably would have been placed on layoff soon after. But the netminder was a gem, stopping 33 of 35 shots for a .943 SV%. In retrospect, that was probably the worst outcome. The Oilers needed to move on from Pickard soon, but that performance kept him in the NHL.

As a result, Connor Ingram stayed in the minors. Ingram should have had a trial match with Skinner before seeking an upgrade. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the Oilers traded Skinner for Tristan Jarry, in what turned out to be a terrible, shocking trade. This could have been avoided if Pickard had been sent down earlier, and that terrible trade would not have been made.

Who knows how the Skinner and Ingram tandem would work? Maybe that would be a better solution, than trading in valuable assets without improving the position.

Overall Grade

Pickard had a strong 2024-25 season and earned a B grade for his performance. Unfortunately, his game fell off the cliff. It is known that this 34-year-old goalkeeper is loved by his teammates. This is the main reason why he was quickly demoted. Although he was well liked, his performance on the ice was rotten. That being said, you get a F for his bad campaign. He was terrible and didn’t give the team enough chances to win.

He is an unrestricted free agent (UFA), and his time in the Oilers organization should be up. Keep following Hockey Writers as we continue the Oilers player report cards throughout the season.