Veteran goaltender Calvin Pickard made his return to the Bakersfield Condors on Tuesday, practicing with the American Hockey League (AHL) team for the first time in more than two years. Pickard last donned a Condors jersey in November 2023, just before he was recalled by the Edmonton Oilers.
Against the odds, Pickard became a fixture in Oil Country, establishing himself as the 1B to Stuart Skinner’s 1A, and played a key role in Edmonton’s back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final each of the last two postseasons.
But after the Oilers made a mid-season goaltending overhaul, Pickard was left as the odd man out in a crowded crease that now includes Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry. Earlier this month, Edmonton placed Pickard on waivers and then assigned him to Bakersfield.
Before he cleared waivers, there were thoughts that Pickard’s time with the Oilers might be over. Now there’s reason to believe it won’t be long before he’s back in Edmonton.
Winter Makes Notable Comments During Interview
During a recent interview on Sports 1440 radio in Edmonton, Pickard’s agent, Ritch Winter, spoke about how the Oilers handled their goaltending situation. Not surprisingly, he expressed displeasure that his client was the one deemed expendable.
However, there was one comment that stood out in particular, when Winter suggested that Oilers general manager Stan Bowman doesn’t necessarily think that Ingram and Jarry are superior to Pickard. Winter said the opposite might be true, and that it’s actually coach Kris Knoblauch who doubts Pickard.
“This situation is a bit unusual, because in the conversations that I’ve had with Stan, he’s not sure that Calvin is not No. 1,” Winter said. “He just got into a situation where, right now, the coach has got flavours (to choose from), and flavours lemonade and strawberry and is not sure on grape.
“There’s not a lot of difference between (Ingram, Jarry, and Pickard); their statistics are very similar,” continued Winter.
In games with the Oilers this season, Ingram is 6-4-1 with a 2.67 goals-against average (GAA) and .897 save percentage (SV%), Jarry is 6-4-1 with a 3.64 GAA and .870 SV%, and Pickard is 5-6-2 with a 3.68 GAA and .871 SV%. For the entirety of his Oilers tenure, Pickard is 39-23-4 with a 2.84 GAA and .986 SV% in the regular season.
“There’s so many factors that come into winning,” said Winter. “We’ve heard it for two years, every time that Calvin’s in the net, everybody says the guys play better, because they love him, because they want him to succeed.
“Now that shouldn’t be the case, but it appears to be the case. He’s a glue figure in the dressing room,” continued Winter, who noted that after Pickard had cleared waivers, the goaltender was called “one of the greatest teammates all of us have ever had” by Oilers alternate captain Leon Draisaitl. “You can’t deny the value of that when you get down a couple of games in the playoffs.”
Pickard Has Delivered During the Postseason
Indeed, it is during the Stanley Cup Playoffs that Pickard has shone brightest for the Oilers, going 8-2 with a 2.72 GAA and .896 SV%. He’s essentially saved their postseason twice, stepping in for the struggling Skinner and getting massive wins with the Oilers trailing the Vancouver Canucks during the second round of the 2024 Playoffs and against the Los Angeles Kings during the first round of last year’s postseason. All told, he’s 4-0 with the Oilers when Edmonton is behind in a series.
Related: Oilers Backup Goalie Pickard Emerges as Unlikely Hero of NHL Playoffs
Ingram and Jarry, meanwhile, have a combined two Stanley Cup Playoff wins between them: the former is 0-3, while the latter is 2-6 in their respective NHL playoff careers.
Pickard Didn’t Want to Go Elsewhere
Winter acknowledged that the Oilers’ decision to send Pickard to Bakersfield rather than Ingram worked out, because Pickard successfully cleared waivers. The agent said that he and Pickard had decided against proactively exploring if other teams were interested in claiming the goaltender.
“Ultimately, he has a great relationship with the people here, he’s had success here, and everybody thinks there’s not enough differentiation between the three (Oilers goalies) to suggest any other place is a good place to go,” Winter said.
“So we talked about it, Calvin’s pretty level-headed about it, and this is not something that’s unfamiliar to him. It might break another guy, (but) it will just motivate him. And I just said to him, simply, when he went off for his break (during the Olympics) and I went off for mine, let’s just do lunch during the playoffs, because he’ll be here.”
Winter added, “I think Stan knows this player. I think that they’re not sure what to do in the blue paint, and Calvin’s more likely to play here and have playoff success here than anywhere else. So he’ll do what he has to do, he’s done it in the past, and I don’t think there’s any doubt … because there’s not enough evidence to suggest the other guys are better.”
Pickard could potentially see his first game action this season with the Condors on Friday (Feb. 20) when Bakersfield hosts the Calgary Wranglers. The Oilers return to action after the Olympic break on Wednesday (Feb. 25) with a road game against the Anaheim Ducks.
