Daily Faceoff sounds off: Edmonton Oilers need a better backup than Calvin Pickard - time for a trade?

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Patrick Frost
November 13, 2024 (6:43 PM)

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Daily Faceoff, a highly respected online hockey resource has ruffled some feathers in Oil Country, stating the Edmonton Oilers should trade backup goaltender Calvin Pickard.

it's no secret by now that the Edmonton Oilers face serious concerns regarding their goaltender situation. Not even 20 games into the regular season, goaltender Stuart Skinner ranks amongst the worst net minders in the NHL.

With that being said, many Oilers enthusiasts have entertained the idea of trading Stuart Skinner while he still retains some value, but Daily Faceoff has a different take on the situation.

»I wouldn't go so far as to say that they need a better goalie than Skinner, but they at least need a better one than Calvin Pickard. Skinner seems better suited for a 1A/1B tandem than getting 60 starts as a starter, and Pickard isn't a 1B type of goalie. Give Skinner a capable tandem partner (you know, like what Jack Campbell was expected to be), and I think he'll be capable of taking them back to the Finals.»
- Scott Maxwell

According to Daily Faceoff, they don't see the current Oilers goalie tandem being strong enough to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals at this point -- oddly enough, the same tandem brought them to game 7 of the finals last season -- which seems somewhat contradictory.

Pickard, who is now 32 years old has been through his share of teams throughout his career, but he made his mark with the Oilers while assisting Stuart Skinner in load management and played 23 games last year.

Though Pickard has has a respectable start to the year, Daily Faceoff remains doubtful about the Oilers future success with their current goalie tandem -- suggesting a trade for a stronger backup.