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According to the Edmonton beat writers, Calvin Pickard was absent from the ice at morning skate, with Stuart Skinner taking the starter’s net and Olivier Rodrigue filling in as backup. Needless to say, this was not the news that Edmonton Oilers fans were wanting to hear on the morning of Game 3.
Pickard has been a rock since stepping in for Game 3 against the L.A. Kings. He took the crease and rattled off six straight wins, including a standout performance in Game 2’s overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. His calm presence and timely saves have been a driving force in Edmonton’s playoff push, making his absence at skate a significant concern. Not only was Pickard playing incredibly well, but it also looked like he was inspiring the guys playing in front of him.
Late in Game 2, Tomas Hertl fell on Calvin Pickard in the crease, and you could see that the goalie was dealing with some discomfort in his leg as he tried to shake it out. While our pal Cal went on to finish the game and ultimately close out the win, whatever he was dealing with was clearly more serious post-game when the equipment came off than it was in the moment with the adrenaline still pumping. That’s a tough blow for a guy who was playing so damned well in the unexpected spotlight.
As a result, Stuart Skinner is back in the starter’s role and looking to rebound after the rough outings in Games 1 and 2 against the Los Angeles Kings that saw him give up 11 goals. After taking a backseat to Pickard’s for the last six games, Skinner now faces the challenge of regaining his rhythm at a pivotal point in Edmonton’s playoff push. He’s shown he can handle pressure before — he did make it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final — but stepping into this momentum won’t be easy.
Kris Knoblauch didn’t shed light on Pickard’s status beyond saying he is day-to-day, leaving us to speculate about the problem. Is it a rest day, a minor issue, or a something more nefarious? Either way, the Oilers have leaned heavily on their backup goaltender over the last two weeks, but now it’s time for Stuart Skinner to step up just like Pickard did for him. For now, fans will be watching Skinner closely, hoping he can keep the team’s momentum alive. With Rodrigue as backup, the crease is in focus with a massive swing game on deck.
Can Stuart Skinner take advantage of his chance to get back in the crease? We’re only a few short hours from finding out.
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Tiering the Winnipeg Jets prospect pool going into the 2025-26 NHL season
The Winnipeg Jets does not get nearly as much respect as it deserves across the league (surprise surprise). Models like HockeyProspecting have the Jets sitting at 25th in the league, but in reality it is better than that. While the depth is not at the same level as rebuilding teams like the San Jose Sharks, for a team that finished with the Presidents Trophy last season, the prospect pool is incredibly impressive. With a number of elite talents and some sneaky good depth, the pool ensures a steady pipeline of players who can join the big club and provide value on cheaper deals. We have tiered the prospect pool to look at where each prospect fits. A prospect is a player under the age of NHL who has played either less than 65 NHL games or in less than parts of three NHL seasons. This means players like Ville Heinola and Cole Perfetti do not qualify. Let’s dive into it. S-tier Winnipeg Jets Prospects These are the prospects who look to not only be NHLers, but to be stars in the league and are close to hitting that ceiling. Unfortunately, the Jets don’t have anyone that would fit this category currently, as their top prospect project to be top-six forwards or top-four defencemen but not surefire stars as of yet. A-tier Winnipeg Jets Prospects This is where the Jets’ prospect pool shines. These are prospects who have a high likelihood of being high-end NHLers, but perhaps not stars. The Jets have three players who fall into this category. Elias Salomonsson is the most notable of the lot and the Jets’ best prospect. Not the flashiest player, the right shot defenceman seemed to come out of nowhere last year to be arguably the best player on the Moose. He looks to be a top-four defenceman in the NHL in a year or two, but the Jets will need to make room for him. Brad Lambert and Brayden Yager are the other two players who fit in here. Yager looks to be a top-six centreman at the NHL level, and while he could turn into a top line guy, it’s still not certain as of yet. Lambert took a step backwards last year, adding just 35 points for the Manitoba Moose last season. And while the Moose were one of the worst teams in the league, he didn’t do much to help their cause. He still looks very good, and his five game NHL audition was encouraging, his future looks like a middle-six centreman. B-Tier Winnipeg Jets Prospects These are prospects that have portential to be great in the NHL but still have a ways to go in their development or players who are reaching the cusp between the AHL and NHL and look to be good to great NHLers. These are not looking like replacement-level NHLers. Colby Barlow, Nikita Chibrikov, and Sascha Boumedienne headline this category. Barlow did not take a step forward in the regular season last year with the Oshawa Generals, finishing just below a point-per-game in his D+2 season, but was exceptional in the playoffs, with 33 points in 21 games. He still looks like a good pro in a couple years, but needs to take a step forward at the AHL level. Chibrikov lost half a season due to a lower-body injury, but had a decent 18 point season through 30 games. He’s trending the right way to be a good NHLer in a couple years, but needs a big year next year to show he’s still in the same boat. Boumedienne could arguably fit in the A-tier, but he’s a B-tier prospect for now as there is a lot of runway still in his development to see whether he develops into a top-four defenceman or floats into replacement-level territory. He had a middling year in the NCAA, but redeemed himself substantially at the U18s this year. Time will tell. Two late draft picks also jump into this group in Kevin He and Kieron Walton, who was probably the steal of the 2024 NHL Draft. His point totals doubled from last year to this, finishing with 92 points in 66 games for the Sudbury Wolves. While OHL production in a player’s D+2 should be taken with an ounce of salt, this step up is massive. Let’s see how he does next year in the AHL. He meanwhile saw a steady increase in his production from last year to this year, finishing with 75 points for the Niagara IceDogs. He probably tops out as a middle-six checking winger, which is immense value for a fourth-round pick. Again, next year in the AHL will be telling to see if he’s the real deal. C-tier Winnipeg Jets Prospects These are the players who look to be either fine or good. They likely top out as bottom-six players at or just above a replacement level. Very new draft picks who have tons of runway but also tons of variability in terms of their development also fall into this category. Newly drafted Owen Martin and Viktor Klingsell very much fit into the latter category. Both put up very respectable numbers in their respective junior leagues last year, but nothing to really write home about. If either takes a step forward next year, they could move up the rankings, but for now, C-tier it is. 20-year-old Jacob Julien also fits in this category. He took a big step backwards in his production this season, going from 78 to 54 points this year with the Memorial Cup winning London Knights. Not being a point-per-game guy in his D+2 while playing on a stacked team is a red flag. Alfons Freij unfortunately also fits in this category. While he did take a step forward as he moved into the HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden’s second highest pro league), he still has a lot of work to do on both his offensive and defensive game even before he makes it to North America. Not overly big or overly tall and without an elite hockey sense, the odds are more against Freij than with him, but it would be great to see him prove the doubters wrong. The final player who has moved from a long-term prospect to someone with some potential is Zach Nehring. The 2023 third-rounder put up 30 points as a rookie at Western Michigan University this season. A crash-and-bang winger, if he continues to put up these numbers next year, he could find his way into the conversation in a few years. On the outside Unfortunately, this means a number of prospects are in the category of being replacement-level NHLers, AHLers, or not pro hockey players in North America. For the Jets, the biggest area of weakness is in net. Thomas Milic has simply not panned out to this point, being good in the ECHL but not good in the AHL is a bad sign for his future. Dom DiVincentiis looks to be about the same or perhaps even worse. This is a key area of need for the Jets in next year’s draft, as they surprisingly did not take a single netminder this past year. The remainder of the prospect pool including 2025 picks Edison Engle and Jacob Cloutier all fall into this category. They do not project to be much of anything at this point, and while some do have a lot of runway, the odds are that they don’t hit the NHL at all. Time will tell, but the Jets have a lot of really good players in the pool, and with a little luck, the next generation of Jets stars will come from within the organization.
All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit in the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .214/.286/.407 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
Athletics' Nick Kurtz makes MLB history vs. Astros
Athletics rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz already had an impressive start to his career. Kurtz entered Friday having posted a .288/.360/.622 batting line in 265 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 17 doubles. Despite making his major league debut on April 23, Kurtz has been the A's most valuable player, leading the team with 2.6 bWAR. He appeared to be on the cusp of becoming the superstar the A's needed to sell the team to the residents of Las Vegas. That performance set the stage for what may have been the most impressive game for any rookie in major league history. Kurtz became the 20th player in MLB history to have a four-home run game and the first rookie to achieve that feat. Kurtz's performance also put the 2025 season into baseball history. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez had a four-home run game on April 26, making this the third time that there have been two four-homer games in a season. That had happened in 2002 (outfielders Mike Cameron and Shawn Green) and 2017 (utility man Scooter Gennett and left fielder J.D. Martinez). Kurtz did not stop with those four homers. He was 6-6 in the A's 15-3 victory over the Astros, with a double and eight runs batted in. The favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, Kurtz put an emphatic stamp on an already impressive season with his barrage on Friday.
76ers unexpectedly waive veteran guard despite career season
The Sixers are waiving Ricky Council IV, the team announced in a press release. Council signed a four-year, partially guaranteed deal with the Sixers in 2024, which contained a team option for the 2026-27 season. Last season, he averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.1 minutes per night — all career-high numbers. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports notes that the timing of the move was unexpected, given that Council’s guarantee date is on Jan. 10, 2026, and the team currently has an open roster spot if they need it to add restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. While Council struggled with his three-point shot last season, he emerged as a reliable depth contributor, playing a team-high 73 games while bringing athleticism and energy from the wing positions.
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