Calvin Pickard's Edmonton Oilers backup goalie job could be in danger
The next few weeks could make or break Calvin Pickard’s future with the Edmonton Oilers.
With Tristan Jarry out for the next couple of weeks, the Oilers will lean heavily on a goaltending tandem of Pickard and recent call-up Connor Ingram. While the focus will be on winning games, there will be a lot on the line for both goaltenders.
Pickard has had a nightmare start to the season, sporting one of the league’s worst save percentages (.861) and goals-against averages (3.93). Reports hit last month that Edmonton was on the verge of waiving Pickard during a particularly rough stretch, but pushback from Oilers players delayed that decision.
Jarry coming in and having success put the pressure off Pickard for a little while, but with recent injury, the spotlight is back on the Oilers’ crease, especially if Ingram can make an impression.
Both goaltenders have already gotten a start apiece since Jarry went down with an injury. Pickard stopped 32 of 36 shots (.889 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, while Ingram turned in a .897 SV% performance in a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night.
Ingram’s victory meant that the Oilers had improved to a perfect 4-0-0 on the season when a goalie not named Stuart Skinner or Pickard gets the start.
#Oilers are now 4-0-0 with goalies not named Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard in net this season
Jarry is 3-0-0 while Ingram improves to 1-0-0
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) December 22, 2025
The next few weeks will give Edmonton a good, long look at who deserves to be the Oilers’ backup goaltender moving forward. Pickard is the incumbent, but his dismal season has put his job security on shaky ground. A misstep now could open the door wide open for Ingram to pounce.
Ingram has been hungry for another shot at the NHL, and he looked good in his first start with the Oilers. He will most certainly get more than a few more looks with Jarry out and, if he can outperform Pickard, there is a real shot he sticks around the NHL for a while longer.
The differences in cap hits between the two goalies is negligable and are on expiring contracts, with Pickard carrying a $1 million cap hit compared to Ingram’s $1.15 million. Both are waiver-eligible, meaning that one of them will be placed on the waiver wire once Jarry is healthy.
Edmonton already knows what Pickard is as an NHL goaltender. He’s shown some flashes over the years, but he is, at most, an okay backup. This year has been a disaster for him, and the team has already flirted with the idea of waiving him.
Meanwhile, Ingram is younger and is just a season removed from being a quality starting goaltender in this league. Placing him on waivers once Jarry returns seems risky, especially if he can show something at the NHL level.
It’d make sense for Edmonton to give Ingram a good run of games here just to see what they’ve got. If it works out, they could copy the model set out by the Colorado Avalanche last season, who completely replaced their goaltending tandem midseason.
They may be playing on the same team, but make no mistake, there is going to be a fierce battle between Pickard and Ingram over the next little while.