Calvin Pickard Reflects on Oilers Career Before Edmonton Return

Calvin Pickard will return to Rogers Place with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday as they visit the Edmonton Oilers, the team he represented for several seasons. The veteran goaltender, who joined Minnesota in 2026 after Edmonton did not re-sign him in free agency, reflected on his former team's playoff success and the opportunity to continue his NHL career.

Pickard's Edmonton tenure included consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, giving him some of the most memorable experiences of his professional career. According to his remarks ahead of the return, those postseason runs also helped him build lasting relationships with teammates and staff.

Pickard described his time in Edmonton as a particularly rewarding period in his career, highlighting the team's consecutive championship-series appearances.

"The playoff runs were special, back-to-back years go to the finals. Lots of good memories, lots of good teammates and staff. Most fun I've had in my career to date. Some lifelong relationships," Pickard said.

His departure followed a summer in which Edmonton chose not to bring him back. Pickard said the chance to join Minnesota offered a straightforward path to remaining in the NHL, even though he understood the circumstances surrounding the opportunity.

"I knew what it looked like when I was signing but in my situation you can't be picky," Pickard said.

He also explained why Minnesota appealed to him when his agent presented the opportunity.

"When my agent called about Minny, it was a no-brainer. I was excited. Good opportunity to stay in the NHL for a while," Pickard said.

Pickard is currently dressing for the Wild because of an injury to Filip Gustavsson. His first appearance for Minnesota came against the Winnipeg Jets, where he faced former Edmonton teammate Stuart Skinner, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and is now with Winnipeg.

The meeting carried an unusual personal connection for Pickard because Winnipeg is his hometown. He recalled the experience of facing Skinner there and seeing the local crowd support his former teammate.

"I'm taking this day by day. I've only played one game as a Minnesota Wild and it happened to be against Stu (Skinner) in Winnipeg, in my hometown. I'm thinking, 'Gimme a break.' Yeah, we did share a laugh," Pickard said.

Pickard added that Skinner's presence in Winnipeg made the game especially strange, given the enthusiastic reaction from fans when the goaltender handled the puck behind the net.

"It was weird. Here's Stu, playing in my hometown. The city's behind him.

Seems like when he handles the puck behind the net, the whole crowd's yelling, 'Stuuu!" I'm happy for him," Pickard said.

Selected 49th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2010 NHL Draft, Pickard eventually became the team's starter during the 2016-17 season. He subsequently played for Vegas, Toronto, Philadelphia and Arizona before joining Detroit in 2019 and signing with Edmonton in 2022.

According to the career timeline outlined in the report, Pickard returned to a full-time NHL role in 2023-24 and became a valuable postseason option for Edmonton. His time with the Oilers included a 4-0 postseason run in 2025 and two consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Final before he signed with Minnesota in 2026.