Calvin Pickard's agent Ritch Winter on Pickard being waived: #LetsGoOilers The Business of Sports on The @JasonGregor Show. Brought to you by Go Auto.
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Calvin Pickard’s agent says there’s ‘not enough evidence’ Jarry or Ingram are better
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Feb 12, 2026, 17:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 12, 2026, 17:50 EST
Calvin Pickard’s agent made a strong defence of his client sticking around with the Edmonton Oilers, saying he isn’t sure that Pickard isn’t the team’s number one goalie.
Long-time player agent Ritch Winter joined The Jason Gregor Show on Wednesday and was asked about his client, Calvin Pickard, being waived by the Oilers.
He said there’s not enough evidence to say Tristan Jarry or Connor Ingram is better.
“The situation has been unusual, because in the conversations I’ve had with Stan [Bowman], he’s not sure Calvin’s not number one,” Winter told Gregor. “Right now, the coach has got favours lemonade and strawberry and is not sure on grape.
“There’s not a lot of difference between them. The statistics are very similar… It didn’t make sense to me when you could’ve sent Ingram down. Now, they got Calvin through waivers.
“We’ve heard it for two years. Every time Calvin’s in the net, everyone says the team plays better because they love him, because they want him to succeed… he’s a glue figure in the dressing room. Draisaitl posted on Instagram within seconds of Calvin clearing waivers, maybe the best teammate they’ve all had. You can’t deny the value of that when you’re down a couple of games in the playoffs.”
Pickard cleared waivers on February 2 after being the team’s de facto third goaltender once Tristan Jarry returned from injury. He’s been re-assigned to Bakersfield, but doesn’t need to report to the Condors yet.
He struggled out of the gates this season, with a 3.68 goals against average and a .871 save percentage, and lost his place to Connor Ingram. Ingram’s numbers include a 2.67 goals against average and a .897 save percentage.
Winter highlighted Pickard’s playoff prowess over the past two Stanley Cup Final runs, where he’s started nine games and gone 8-2.
“It’s disappointing for him, obviously, because there’s not enough evidence the other guys are better,” said Winter.
“He’s had success here, and everybody thinks there’s not enough differentiation between the three of them to suggest any other place is a good place to go, right? So we talked about it. Calvin’s pretty level-headed about it. This is not unfamiliar to him. No, it might break another guy. It’ll just motivate him.
“I just said to him simply when he went off for his break, and I went for mine, I just said let’s do lunch during the playoffs because he’ll be here.”
Winter has been a player agent for decades, instrumental in the change of player contracts in the late 1980s and 1990s. Some of his most famous clients include Grant Fuhr and Dominik Hasek.
Today, however, he has seven clients with NHL contracts, with Calvin Pickard and Mason Appleton being the biggest among them.
Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and has been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, he also collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues.
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