DENVER – Calvin Pickard is back in a familiar setting under some unfamiliar circumstances.
The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled the 25-year-old goaltender for the first time on Friday morning and are expected to press him immediately into action against the Colorado Avalanche, the team he’d made all 86 of his previous NHL appearances for.
The move came as a surprise since Curtis McElhinney was a full participant in both Leafs skates coming out of the Christmas break and backed up Frederik Andersen for Thursday’s 7-4 victory in Arizona. The team said he suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury, but it’s unclear when that happened.
Pickard was acquired by Toronto on Oct. 6 and has been biding his time in the American Hockey League, posting a .919 save percentage in 15 games for the Marlies. The former second-round pick of the Avalanche was taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the June expansion draft before being flipped to the Leafs for prospect Tobias Lindberg and a 2018 sixth-round pick.
Should he play at Pepsi Center on Friday night, it would be an unusual situation given that he’s so familiar with the opposition but was only meeting most of his Toronto teammates upon being recalled.
Pickard posted strong numbers as Semyon Varlamov’s backup in Colorado two years ago, but struggled in the No. 1 role when Varlamov was hurt last season and the Avalanche finished 30th overall.
How long he remains up with the Leafs is anyone’s guess. He can play up to 10 games or spend up to 30 days on the NHL roster before needing waivers again to be sent back to the AHL.
It all hinges on the status of McElhinney, who has been putting in extra work with goalie coach Steve Briere this week. He was first on the ice before a Wednesday afternoon practice at Gila River Arena and again Thursday for the morning skate.
The veteran backup has had some strong performances this season, but was disappointed with his last start – a 4-2 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 20.
"Yeah, I’ve got to work out something because obviously what I’m doing now isn’t having the best success," McElhinney said that night. "So I’ve got to figure that out."
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