Pickard is expected to guard the road goal for Friday's preseason game against Vancouver.
Stuart Skinner was originally scheduled to get the nod, but he's battling the flu. Pickard had a 22-10-1 record, 2.71 GAA and .900 save percentage across 36 regular-season outings with Edmonton in 2024-25. The 33-year-old Pickard is projected to open the campaign as the Oilers' No. 2 netminder behind Skinner.