The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are heading into the medal rounds for the Men's ice hockey very soon. Shortly after, the Edmonton Oilers regular season schedule will resume and they will be pushing for a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Oilers entered the Olympic break in rough shape, having lost three straight games. This caused a lot of turmoil with star Leon Draisaitl giving a candid and honest postgame media availability before the break blaming the coaches. These issues created a lot of speculation from fans and media that the Oilers will make changes.
Paul Coffey returns behind the Oilers bench
As has been widely reported and rumoured, the Oilers chose to make changes to their structure behind the bench. The Oilers chose to hire franchise legend back to serve behind the bench as an assistant to head coach Kris Knoblauch. From 2023-24 to 2024-25, he was in charge of the Oilers defence.
He had a lot of success over the past few years managing the defensive group, something that he is expected to resume. The team has seen a major step back in their performance defensively this season, ranking 26th in terms of penalty kill, 25th in goals against, but 10th in shots against. Also referencing analytics site evolving-hockey.com, the Oilers rank 23rd in expected goals against.
Oilers send down goaltender Calvin Pickard
Heading into the break, the Oilers sent down goaltender Calvin Pickard to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. After the Oilers spent most of January with three goaltenders with the uncomfortable decision to risk losing one of them on waivers. The club finally made the tough decision to risk losing him on waivers and send him down to the AHL.
Welcome back to Condorstown, Calvin Pickard!#Condorstown pic.twitter.com/c6EzE7I3ew
— Bakersfield Condors (@Condors) February 17, 2026
Pickard finally reported to Bakersfield, joining the club for practice in recent days. He seems poised to play games for the Condors as the Oilers approach the NHL trade deadline on March 6th. It is most likely that Pickard sticks around as a third string option, becoming a black ace down the stretch but there is a possibility that he gets traded if him and his camp wants to be dealt.
Matt Savoie sent down to AHL
The Oilers made a surprising roster move during the week, sending down rookie Matt Savoie to the Condors, joining fellow rookie Isaac Howard and others.
This is being done purely for Cap purposes!
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) February 17, 2026
Matt Savoie will play at least one game for the @Condors in the American Hockey League.
He has had a solid season to date for the @EdmontonOilers https://t.co/yJNElY1LVP
As Bob Stauffer reports, the Oilers opted to send down Matt Savoie to clear some cap room. Veteran forward Adam Henrique is expected to be activated off long term injured reserve soon after the NHL schedule resumes. Him and his $3 million caphit would be a lot for the Oilers to take on, forcing the club to make some cap maneuvers.
Given he can be sent down to the AHL without requiring waivers, he makes a lot of sense for the Oilers to send. He will have to play one game before he can be recalled based on the new NHL CBA rules.