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‘It’s been painful’: Relegation to third-string goalie weighing on Oilers’ Calvin Pickard
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Michael Menzies
Jan 21, 2026, 18:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 21, 2026, 18:35 EST
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Edmonton Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard understands why he’s been relegated to third on the depth chart, but that doesn’t make it any easier, he revealed to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector on Wednesday. 
“It’s been tough,” said Pickard. “It’s been painful, for sure.”
Despite allowing just three goals against in their last four games, the Oilers are just 2-2, and Pickard has had to watch from the sidelines. 
Such is life with this zig-zag team, whose two goaltenders at the moment, Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram, are providing quality starts and are different than the two they began the season with. 
Without Leon Draisaitl and Kasperi Kapanen, the Oilers could only dress 11 forwards on Tuesday night, unable to call up a forward due to the salary cap implications of keeping Pickard on the roster. As we know, Pickard remains with the team as a third goaltender for injury protection, but his presence in the room as a great teammate looms large. 
Which leaves them here, in an awkward scenario where Pickard is a practice goalie.  
“It hasn’t been my best season. I don’t love how it got to this point, but I get it,” said Pickard. “I can’t be boiling mad coming to the rink every day, because that’ll just be counterproductive for what I need to do.
“I don’t like it. I’m not having fun with it, but I’m still coming to work every day, working hard… Because you never know what’s going to happen. I have to be ready for my next opportunity.”

‘Don’t feel bad for me’

Pickard’s last start was on Janaury 8th against the Winnipeg Jets, a 4-3 victory where Pickard made 13 saves on 16 shots. His stats have improved slowly from the beginning of the year, where now he has a .871 save percentage and a 3.68 goals against average. 
With the Oilers’ homestand continuing into February, it doesn’t seem like the plan is for Pickard to play again. 
“I have conversations with the coaching staff and different things, maybe a little bit more stern. But as a teammate, nothing changes for me,” Pickard told Spector. “A guy in my position — lower contract, not very long of a contract — as a general manager, you’re always probably looking to the future. It’s tough for me. I’ve played a lot of good hockey here. You never know what the future holds.
“You never know — I could be right back in there at some point here soon. But yeah, it does suck, for sure,” he added. “But don’t feel bad for me. I’ve been through it before. I’m going to be 34 soon, and I’ve seen all these kinds of situations.”
Jarry made 15 saves in a tight 2-1 loss on Tuesday to New Jersey, including a highlight reel sliding windmill on Cody Glass. After Jarry and Connor Ingram both posted shutouts on the weekend, the writing is on the wall. 
Especially for Pickard, who’s been a huge part of the team’s success the last two years, said head coach Kris Knoblauch.
“It’s hard for me – imagine how hard it is for him,” Knoblauch told reporters after practice on Wednesday. “We wouldn’t have been in the Stanley Cup Finals two years in a row without him.
“He’s won a lot of important hockey games for us. Not only that, you see the personal side of it. He’s a fantastic teammate, someone who means a lot to the guys in the room, and, you know, hasn’t played his best this season. But unfortunately for us, we didn’t play very well in front of him, which has made his job even harder….unfortunately for him, he’s the odd guy out right now.” 

Edmonton will keep Pickard ‘as long as they can’: Marek

Host of The Daily Faceoff’s The Sheet, Jeff Marek, joined Oilersnation Everyday with Tyler & Liam to discuss the three-goalie situation on Wednesday. 
He’s convinced the Oilers will keep Pickard “as long as they can” even if it means playing a shorthanded lineup, as the veteran backup is a prime candidate to be selected off of waivers due to his playoff pedigree last season. 
“I would imagine it [their conversation] sounds like, ‘a) We don’t want to do this, because everybody loves him. And B) the cover that we have is we want to make sure that Tristan Jarry can stay healthy,’” said Marek. 
“’We’re not going to make a move right now in case Jarry gets hurt again and then we’re down a goaltender.’ That’s why I say they’re going to put this thing off as long as they can, and I don’t think it’s necessarily the wrong thing to do. 
“All the answers are in the playoffs. That’s why, if I’m Stan Bowman right now, I’m putting this decision off as long as I can. If you put him on waivers… Philly’s the obvious one. That’s the team in the back of my mind.”
Knoblauch said on Tuesday night the plan with Jarry coming back from injury is not giving him too many games, but has not revealed a starter yet. 
“We’re getting to that point where we could play back to back soon but not right away,” he said. 
He added the Oilers would be “very fortunate” to see Kapanen return Saturday, and his timeline remains next week. There’s been no update on Leon Draisaitl’s return from personal leave dealing with a family matter, which remains “end of week” for a timeline. 
With either returning to the lineup, the issue of playing 11 forwards and seven defenceman is moot, but injuries have been a factor all season long. Also, the previous desire to trade Andrew Mangiapane is still a goal for Stan Bowman. 
The Oilers host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, and indications are Stuart Skinner will not play, as he is starting Wednesday night against the Calgary Flames.  
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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