On Tuesday, the Minnesota Wild pay their first visit to Rogers Place to take on the Edmonton Oilers, and it will mark the return of former Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard to the venue that he called home for several years.
Pickard’s time with the Oilers came to an official close during the summer, as he was not brought back in free agency and instead signed a contract with the Wild, extending his NHL career.
But as he makes his return to Edmonton, he looked back upon his time with the Oilers fondly.
Calvin Pickard Shares Blunt Take On His Time With The Edmonton Oilers
Pickard, who is dressing with the Wild right now because of the injury to Filip Gustavsson, looked back on his time with the Oilers, which included back to back trips to the Stanley Cup Final that just fell short.
“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,” said Pickard.
“I knew what it looked like when I was signing but in my situation you can’t be picky,” he said. “When my agent called about Minny, it was a no-brainer. I was excited. Good opportunity to stay in the NHL for a while.”
He also talked about former teammate Stuart Skinner, who was traded last season to the Pittsburgh Penguins and is now with the Winnipeg Jets.
“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,” said Pickard. “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.”
Calvin Pickard Is Now With The Wild
Pickard was taken with the 49th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, and he eventually became the Avalanche’s starter in 2016-17 before moving through Vegas, Toronto, Philadelphia and Arizona. He joined Detroit in 2019 and later signed with Edmonton in 2022.
After returning to the NHL full-time in 2023-24, Pickard became a valuable playoff option for the Oilers, including a 4-0 postseason run in 2025 and back to back Stanley Cup Final appearances. He signed with Minnesota in 2026.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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