Detroit Red Wings Player Grades: The Final Four Report Cards

Calvin Pickard

2021 Statline:
Games: 6
Games Started: 4
Wins: 2
Save Percentage: .874

Preseason Projections

Mentor in Grand Rapids; Depth in Detroit when needed

2021 Season in a Nutshell

When Pickard stood tall during a March series that saw Detroit sweep Columbus, it was a good moment for the netminder. The expectations were for him to be a mentor of sorts for the younger goaltenders in Grand Rapids, with Thomas Greiss and Jonathan Bernier taking care of the job in Detroit.

When injury occurred, Pickard was there. Sure, the results weren’t always top notch, but Pickard was solid between the pipes when the team needed him to be. Of the four games he started, his only dud was against Florida which saw him yanked after 12 minutes on the ice. But in his other starts, Pickard was solid, allowing Detroit to be competitive.

They said it

"“I thought Picks played well.  Our guys really like him. He’s one of the better guys I’ve been around in my career. He cares a bunch, great personality. He’s really worked hard in keeping his game sharp. He’s grabbed our goalie coach (Jeff Salajko) a number of times and got in a lot of extra work. Guys have a lot of respect for him. Certainly, it’s a lift for our team.”"

Jeff Blashill via MLive

Final Grade: C+

So it’s totally subjective but if you read what Blashill said in his postgame quote, it makes you recognize that sometimes there’s more to than just the performance on the ice. Pickard, from all intents and purposes, seems to be a real positive presence in the locker room, someone who a team can feed off of. In the games he started, he backstopped a series sweep against Columbus and then came within a whisker of winning a third (eventually falling in overtime).

Pickard is a useful depth goalie and his grade reflects as such.