Calvin Pickard has officially cleared waivers, eligible to be sent down to the Bakersfield Condors

It has been a stressful 24 hours. The Edmonton Oilers placed goalie Calvin Pickard on waivers yesterday, and at noon, it was announced that he had cleared waivers. The Oilers now have the option to send him down to the Bakersfield Condors or to have him remain in Edmonton.

What does this mean for the Edmonton Oilers?

The Oilers definitely didn’t want to lose Calvin Pickard for free. Despite not being great this season, he has still been a reliable option over the last few years, especially in the playoffs. On top of that, the locker room seems to love him, and he clearly loves being in Edmonton.

The problem is that they have three goalies in Edmonton right now, with him joining Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram in the cramped Oilers’ crease. On top of that, the Bakersfield Condors have their goalie position locked down with Connor Ungar and Matt Tomkins playing excellent hockey in California. Ungar, especially, is one of the best goalies in the AHL, and the team will be keen to see if he can be an NHLer in a couple of years.

What do the Oilers do with Calvin Pickard then? If nobody wanted him for free, it’s hard to see him being a key piece in a trade. However, he could be used as a secondary piece as part of a bigger move to shore up the team, either up front or on defence. The irony of all of this is that for the first time in recent memory, the Oilers have too many goalies and may need to use one to add strength up front.