The season for the Edmonton Oilers came to a close in extremely disappointing fashion, dropping their opening round Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Anaheim Ducks in six games.
It marked the first time since 2021 that the Oilers didn’t face the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round of the postseason, but they did face another Southern California team that is clearly on the rise, as opposed to the Kings.
Edmonton’s dreams of a third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final were dashed by the Ducks, who are now in a second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, while the Oilers are now officially in offseason mode.
While next season’s roster will not be the same as the players who skated off the ice in defeat at Honda Center over the weekend, it already appears as though the Oilers are preparing to bid goodbye to one veteran member of the organization.
The Edmonton Oilers Are Expected To Move On From Veteran Goaltender Calvin Pickard
Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard, who spent the majority of this season with the American Hockey League affiliate Bakersfield Condors after going unclaimed on waivers, is expected to move on from Edmonton.
He posted a message on his Instagram account, in which he wrote, “Thank you Edmonton”, which many users took to represent a goodbye message to the organization he’s been with for the last handful of seasons.
On social media, the responses from fans were varied, with some defending him while others ready to show him the door.
This fan seemed to be in Pickard’s corner, saying, “poor guy . oilers management screwed the nicest guy around.”
This fan said, “Poor dude…had no chance playing behind Nurse.”
Meanwhile, this fan said it appeared as though the writing was on the wall when Pickard was waived, saying, “When you’re dumped into the minors, I’m pretty sure the writing was on the wall.”
And keeping in that vein, this user said, “Good, he was never gonna cut it in either Edmonton or Bakersfield.”
Pickard’s numbers in the NHL this season weren’t exactly spectacular, as he went 5-6-2 with a 3.68 goals-against average, a .871 save percentage, and no shutouts.
Calvin Pickard Has Played Nearly 200 NHL Games In His Career
Pickard was originally selected in the second round (49th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he spent the first portion of his career.
He’s played for multiple teams since then, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red Wings.
He’s been with the Oilers since 2023-24, and has appeared in multiple playoff games with the club after they decided they couldn’t wait for Stuart Skinner to rediscover a sense of consistency.
If this is it for Pickard with the Oilers, he’ll have finished his tenure with a 39-23-4 while posting a 2.84 goals-against average, a .896 save percentage, and one shutout.
So far in his NHL career, Pickard has appeared in 192 games while posting a record of 74-77-14 with a 2.96 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage, and five shutouts.
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