Oilers Consider Pickard for Playoff Boost

0:00It's April 8th. Welcome in. This is NHL News Today, where your team meets AI. I'm Cory with the story. The Edmonton Oilers are eyeing their goalie lineup for the playoffs. And it's clear they trust starter Connor Ingram, but not Tristan Jerry. After a 6-5 overtime loss to the Utah mammoth, fans are calling for a shake-up by bringing a veteran Calvin Pickard from the minors. Jerry came over from the Pittsburgh Penguins in mid-December in a trade for Stuart Skinner and Brett Koolack, but he's been too up and down with just a few solid starts. Pickard, meanwhile, shown in the Oilers' last two Stanley Cup playoffs runs in 2024 and 2025, going 7-1 last. Spring to help reach the final. Teammates rave about Pickard as a top locker-room guy. Leon Dresyto called him one of the greatest. Jerry's third tension by publicly blasting the team after a loss to Minnesota on January 31st. And his play hasn't backed it up since.

1:00Calling a pick-art could light a fire under Jerry, or serve as reliable backup to Ingram, plus it free salary cap space for GM Stan Bowman. Down in Bakersfield, it lets young prospects like Connor Ungar develop in the A.H.O. playoffs with a .91 safe percentage. With Pickard's proven playoff clutch and fan-favorite status, this move just makes sense to boost the Oilers' postseason push.