Calvin Pickard’s agent is openly criticizing Stan Bowman’s choice to let the experienced goalie go on waivers.
The good news for the Oilers is that Pickard was able to pass through waivers and stay with the team. There’s a strong chance he might be called back up to the NHL when the playoffs start, but right now, his future in playing is quite unclear.
Calvin Pickard’s agent speaks up about the waivers decision
Pickard’s agent, Rich Winter, is doing what he can to support his client, but it’s clear he wouldn’t say these things without talking to Pickard first. This makes his comments very insightful.
Winter mentioned his main arguments against the waivers decision are that Pickard has more playoff experience than the other two goalies, he is well-liked by his teammates, and Coach Knoblauch isn’t sure what to do. He even said that Pickard is the best goalie on the Oilers and argued that Ingram should have been sent down instead.
In my talks with Stan, it seems he’s not sure Calvin isn’t the top choice. Right now, the coach is trying different options, and the differences between the goalies are minor. Their stats are nearly the same.
I didn’t understand why they didn’t send Ingram down instead. Whenever Calvin is in goal, the team seems to perform better because they look up to him. This shouldn’t really matter, but it seems that way. He’s a key part of the team spirit.
I mentioned to Stan that Calvin has a record of 9 wins and 2 losses in the playoffs. Have we forgotten that? The other goalies haven’t had much playoff success, while Ingram has hardly played during them.
When Calvin went on waivers, we thought about talking to other teams or acting quickly, but we decided not to. He has a strong bond with everyone here. He’s had success in this environment. Everybody feels there isn’t enough difference between the three goalies to justify going elsewhere.
– Rich Winter
Honestly, some of Winter’s points are pretty ridiculous. Let’s look at them more closely.
If Stan Bowman really thought Pickard might be better than Tristan Jarry, why would he have traded to get him? That logic doesn’t make sense since Jarry had a save percentage of . 909 when the trade happened, while Pickard’s is currently only . 871.
Instead, Winter believes that Ingram should be the goalie to leave the Oilers. This is a surprising statement since Ingram has been arguably their most reliable goalie this season, with a . 897 save percentage over 13 games.
It’s true that Pickard is well-liked in the locker room and has done well in the playoffs before, but those reasons aren’t enough to keep the Skinner/Pickard pairing together. Pickard had been performing poorly earlier in the season, and relying on him as their main starter in the playoffs would be a big mistake by the general manager.
Lastly, it’s important to note that every NHL team had the opportunity to claim Pickard for free when he was made available, but none took the chance. He doesn’t have a high cost with a $1 million salary, yet every team decided to stick with their current goalie pairs instead of picking up Pickard. This says a lot about how other teams see his abilities.
Of course, it’s best for Pickard to stay with the Oilers as a solid third goalie in case of injuries. However, the truth is he has the worst stats among all the Oilers goalies this season, and it was the right choice to let him go.
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