The Edmonton Oilers are currently trying to get past the Vegas Golden Knights and make it to the Western Conference Final, as they push for their first Stanley Cup since 1990. They lead the series 2-1, and while the third game of the series ended heartbreakingly, they are looking to put a stranglehold on the series and head back to Las Vegas with a chance at finishing it off.
Related: Former Oilers, Maple Leafs Defender Connor Carrick Heading Overseas
In this edition of Oilers News & Rumours, we take a look at the goaltending situation, which includes who starts Game 4, who came up from the American Hockey League (AHL), and what the statuses of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard are.
Pickard Battling Injury & Will Miss Game 4, Delia Recalled
The Oilers will be without Calvin Pickard for a second straight game as he continues to battle an undisclosed injury, but it doesn’t seem like he will be out for much longer. As of right now, the belief is that Pickard is day-to-day and could be back for Game 5.
Not sure what this means about the extent of Calvin Pickard’s injury but Condors veteran goaltender Colin Delia is making his way up to Edmonton to join the team.
— Tom Gazzola (@TomGazzola) May 11, 2025
With the uncertainty surrounding Pickard, the Oilers recalled veteran goaltender Collin Delia to join the team behind Stuart Skinner and Olivier Rodrigue. It seems to be more of a formality, so the Oilers have him ready to go just in case, but the addition of Delia added to speculation about Pickard’s injury being more serious than the team was revealing. However, all indications are that his injury is minor, and he will be ready to go soon.
Bouchard Should Get Re-Signed, Despite Defensive Blunders
Some fans are curious what Evan Bouchard’s next contract is going to look like, and Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal gave some insight on where things could be right now, and what the team could be thinking in terms of his future.
“Evan Bouchard. The expiring RFA will see his current contract due at the end of this season. I do not want to rehash here all the things said about his ability to defend through the regular season…except to say I generally agree. But as we saw last post-season, when the chips are down Bouchard is a big enough guy with a long enough reach to defend capably. And we are seeing the same thing again against Las Vegas. His play on the winning goal on Thursday evening is a tough damn one to get right…especially in that moment…and he did. Evan Bouchard will never be Rod Langway. But he is an elite points producer. And those do not grow on trees.”
source – ‘What on earth is Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman thinking??: 9 Things’ – Kurt Leavins – Edmonton Journal – 05/11/2025
There have been some rumblings that Bouchard is looking for at least $10 million annually on his next contract, which would force the Oilers to make some moves as they only have $9.41 million in cap space heading into the offseason with several important unrestricted free agents (UFAs) left to re-sign. Leavins hints that the Oilers won’t want to lose him and will have to move money around to bring him back, but there hasn’t been a trusted report revealing how close the two sides are on a new contract just yet.
Oilers Altering Lines for Game 4, Ekholm Status Unchanged
It seems as though the Oilers will make some changes for Game 4, but haven’t revealed what those changes are just yet.
No line rushes at Oilers Morning Skate — will have to wait until warm up to see tonight’s formation.
Skinner starts. Expect “one, maybe two” changes. There are “a couple of game-time decisions,” according to Knoblauch. #Oilers
— Tony Brar 🚀 (@TonyBrarOTV) May 12, 2025
As of right now, the status of injured Mattias Ekholm has not changed, despite speculation that he could be the “game-time decision” that could return tonight. Fans will have to wait and see what changes end up coming in the game warmup, but head coach Kris Knoblauch says there could be one or two changes.
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