Oilers waive Calvin Pickard amid brutal season

The Edmonton Oilers are looking to make a run at a third straight Stanley Cup final appearance and are looking to win it this time. The Oilers have had their struggles this year, but are currently tied for first in the Pacific Division. Regardless of the success, they have been panned for their goaltending decisions, and the team just made another decision in goal.

Calvin Pickad has been placed on waivers, according to a post on the team’s X account, formerly Twitter.

Pickard is being dropped in favor of Connor Ingram and Tristan Jarry. The Oilers already traded Stuart Skinner away to the Penguins for Jarry earlier this year. Jarry and Ingram will be the two goaltenders heading into a playoff run.

Pickard was not great this year. He was just 5-62 with a 3.68 goals against average and a .871 save percentage. Pickard was the 49th overall selection of the 201 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. He finally broke into the NHL in the 2014-15 season with the Avs, going 6-7-3. Since then, he has spent time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, and Arizona Coyotes, plus time in the AHL.

Pickard joined the Oilers for the 2023-24 season, goin 12-7-1 in his first year, and spending some time in net in the playoffs. He was also 22-10-1 in the regular season in 2024-25 for the Oilers, while going 7-1 in the playoffs, yet it was not enough to keep him on the roster.

The Oilers are now 28-20-8, which places them tied for the most points in the Pacific Division wth the Vegas Golden Knights. They return to the ice on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.