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Letters to the Editor: ‘It’s time to put a bit of respect on Calvin Pickard’
LTE 6 Letters to the Editor Evan Bouchard
Photo credit: Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk
Zach Laing
Jan 25, 2026, 09:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 25, 2026, 03:20 EST
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Got your coffee? It’s time to dig into this week’s Letters to the Editor. Want to join in the fun? Details about how to reach out are at the bottom of the article.

Send down Ingram, not Pickard

I think it’s time to put a bit of respect on Calvin Pickard. It’s unreal how quickly this team has decided to kick him to the side.
All the guy has done is be a reliable backup, winning 22 games last year, and going something like 7-1 in the playoffs at absolutely crucial times. The fact of the matter is, without Pickard, this team doesn’t make it beyond the second round in either of the last two years. He struggled at the start of the year, but this team was hot garbage. Since then, he’s been solid, either stealing games, or making the saves when it counted.
In my view, the goalies have all looked good when the team plays decent, most recently on the McDavid heater. But when the Oilers don’t show up — see the Devils and Penguins games this week — it’s been pretty obvious that no goalie is going to look good.
The smart play for this team was to send Connor Ingram down, let him play and get reps, have Pickard as the backup, also getting reps. You then have three working assets. It demonstrates to the team that yes, we are in it to win it, and you don’t get a free NHL ride for a few good weeks. Instead, you’re burying one of your assets, lowering its value for no good reason.
Pickard is every bit as valuable to this team, and has proven it time and again when it mattered.
Matt Ashfield
(If we’re talking about valuable assets, Ingram had a .917 save percentage before last night’s mess against the Capitals.)

Maybe the Oilers don’t need Jonathan Toews

Personally, the Oilers are pretty stacked up at every position. Why are the Winnipeg Jets at the bottom? They lead the league last year and I thought they were on the way to a Stanley Cup.
This year the Oilers have enough of a roster that what they really need to do is gel as a team. Ask why are the Golden Knights, Mammoth and Kraken such good and reliable teams? They build on the team game, but the Oilers have always been about their top players. Top players don’t always gel as a team, chemistry is the answer. Who works best with who?
Teams that fail in the playoffs are those who aren’t defensive minded, goalies struggling nightly, best offensive players get shut down in playoffs, lack of role players who suddenly come down with sub par play even by their standards.
The Oilers look to be fixed right now, but add a wrong player in the mix and the whole team comes apart. They have to be careful here, goaltending appears to be more consistent with Tristan Jarry and Ingram. I like Jarry to come up big in playoff, but Ingram can carry the load as well. Keep a third goalie, send him to the minors for now and keep him ready. We might even have real team, now?
What happens if McDavid and Draisaital disappear in the playoffs? Who comes out scoring? The team compensates when the best players are shut off the board. Just saying the Oilers need a team game, not a McDavid game that makes other players disappear come playoff time. We got to learn to stop playing the Gretzky game.
Larry Middleton
(The Oilers need McDavid and Draisaitl like we ned oxygen. If they struggle, they don’t win the Cup. Look at 2025.)
Oilersnation wants to hear from you, the reader, in our new weekly “Letters to the Editor” segment. Letters can be emailed to Oilersnation’s managing editor Zach Laing (zach.laing@bettercollective.com), titled “Letters to the Editor.” Please include a letter up to 200 words, including your name, place of residence (city, town, province, or state). Your letters may be edited for length and/or clarity. Letters must be submitted by 6 PM MT Saturday night to be considered for feature on Sunday mornings.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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