St. Louis Blues: Exploring The Market For A Potential Backup Goalie
There is no indication that the St. Louis Blues are prepared to move on from Jake Allen. However, that does not mean that they should not be looking for a potential backup.
The St. Louis Blues have two number one starting goaltenders in Jake Allen and Jordan Binnington. Once Binnington gets paid, the team will have two goalies making starting netminder salaries.
As my co-expert pointed out, the Blues seem intent on keeping Allen, whether or not that pleases the fans, is up to you. I’m not quite sure the Blues need to be paying two goalies upwards of $10 million between the two, so let’s explore some alternatives.
Binnington is set to make around $4-7 million after leading the team to their first Stanley Cup title in his rookie season. His salary will determine how much flexibility the Blues will have in free agency.
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It does not matter if Binnington makes less than we expect, or more, the Blues will not have the money to sign a marquee goalie.
Not only do the Blues not have the money, but they also do not have the need for a guy like Sergei Bobrovsky or Semyon Varlamov.
The more realistic options for St. Louis will make around $1 million for the upcoming season.
Curtis McElhinney would be at the top of my list of UFA goalies to backup Binnington. McElhinney is an 11 year veteran in the NHL, spending his last season with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Last year, the 36-year-old goalie went 20-11-2 with a .912 SV% and allowed 2.58 GAA. McElhinney has been a backup goalie for the majority of his career, and the former sixth-round pick will be looking for a job this summer.
His career averages are pretty good for a backup goalie. Across his 11 year career, the Ontario native has a .909 SV% and allowed 2.81 GAA across 219 games played.
His teammate Petr Mrazek would also be a candidate for a backup position, although at 27 years old, Mrazek’s 2018-19 season would likely warrant him getting a look as a starter.
The Blues could also go the veteran route by signing a guy like Cam Ward or Cam Talbot. Although both are getting up there in age, with Ward being 35 and Talbot 31, they would still command salaries that the Blues should not explore.
Another intriguing option would be Calvin Pickard, who had an injury-plagued season a year ago but had a promising start to his career.
Pickard was a former second-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2010 and is still only 27 years old. Pickard only played in six games last year for Arizona, but while with the Avalanche proved why he was picked in the second round.
Playing on a below average Colorado team, Pickard was able to compile a .914 SV% and allowed just 2.77 GAA. Pickard’s cap hit would be almost non-existent. He had only made $800,000 last season and would likely earn the same amount next year.
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Trading Allen would give Binnington the reigns of an everyday goalie for the first time in his career at the NHL level, and there have been no signs of his inability to handle it. St. Louis would still need to bring in a decent backup, just in case of injuries.