The Olympic break for NHL players has officially ended, and they are now returning to their teams for practice. Calvin Pickard has made his way to the AHL team, the Bakersfield Condors.
The Oilers let Pickard take this break even though they put him on waivers just before the Olympics. However, the future plan for Pickard is not very clear right now.
Additionally, the Edmonton Oilers decided to make a surprising change by sending rookie Matt Savoie down to the AHL.
Calvin Pickard joins AHL, Matt Savoie also moves to minors
According to reporters at practice today, Pickard is officially taking part in practice in California. It looks like he will actually play in AHL games, while it was initially thought he would just be stuck between the Oilers and the minors.
Having Pickard in the minors will make things more complicated for the Oilers regarding their goalies.
The Condors already have veteran Matt Tomkins, who is doing well with a . 912 save percentage. They also have a rising star, Connor Ungar, with an impressive . 933 save percentage. Insider Jim Matheson mentioned that the Oilers do not want to disrupt the starting chances for either goalie.
It will be interesting to see how the Oilers manage having three goalies in the AHL moving forward. However, veteran Pickard should not take chances away from the promising prospect Ungar. Pickard might not get to play much in the AHL, but he needs to stay sharp during warmups and practices in case he gets called up again for injury support.
The Oilers also made a notable roster change by sending rookie Matt Savoie down to the AHL today. Savoie has been with the Oilers all year and is developing well as a two-way player, already good enough for top-9 minutes.
Insider Bob Stauffer has reported that Savoie will indeed play for the Condors during this time, but this move is mainly about managing the salary cap. He is expected to return to the NHL team right after he plays.
Sending Savoie down now, before the NHL starts again, will help the Oilers save some money on the cap, which will give them more flexibility to make trades.
We will see if the Oilers make any more changes to their roster after the Olympic break soon, as they start getting ready for the final part of the season.
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