Oilers locker room ask may be impossible for GM to honour as goalie issues mount

Plenty of pressure has been put on Stuart Skinner this season to find his consistency before the playoffs, or the team will be forced to make a trade. Skinner hasn't found it yet, Connor Ingram is still in the AHL, and now Calvin Pickard is struggling mightily.

Pickard has been one of the better stories for the Oilers in the last two years. Coming in as a veteran journeyman goaltender, he vastly outperformed expectations and earned more starting opportunities. Last year, he posted an impressive .900 save percentage in 36 games.

Unfortunately, this season hasn't been anywhere near the level Pickard was at last year. He's fallen to an .850 save percentage in 5 games, with just 1 quality start. According to MoneyPuck, he ranks 8th last in Goals Saved Above Expected.

Last night against the Blues wasn't any better for Pickard. He was far from the sole reason the Oilers lost the game, but he still would've liked to make at least one save to keep the Oilers tied.

NHL insiders revealed earlier this season that the Oilers players made it clear to management that they really want Pickard to stay on the roster.

They can make the demand all they want, but they know they can't enter the playoffs with their tandem goalie at an .850 save percentage.

So far this season, the results just haven't been good enough. The Oilers have only got 4 game above a .900 save percentage, and they've won every time.

The Oilers goaltending issues will clearly come to a head this season, if they're going all-in to win the Stanley Cup. There has to be a change of personnel to give Edmonton the best chance of winning.