Much has already been said about fan favorite Jordan Binnington’s future with the team. That said, we’ll assume he’s here to stay, at least for now. One thing fans might expect from Binnington is a battle for the net. The internal competition has been growing since the 2023 – 2024 season, when Joel Hofer reached thirty games with a save percentage of .913 and a goals against average of 2.65. Internal competition is no foreign concept to Binnington, and it dates back to the 2021 – 2022 season with Ville Husso.
The expectation is that as Binnington fights to take his crease back, he will, in the process, make Hofer a stronger goaltender.
While an internal battle is likely, it’s equally likely that the roles are reversed. Joel Hofer has seen more crease time since his 5-year tenure, and his responsibilities and production have continued to improve. With Hofer currently sitting at a .909 save percentage and 2.61 goals against average, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be given the opportunity to take on a bigger role. The team is no longer building around thirty-two-year-old Jordan Binnington. He is an invaluable teammate with a strong character who can perform in clutch situations.
It is also plausible that Binnington is traded at or near the deadline. Binnington could make sense for a team in need of a playoff-proven goalie. That said, I don’t know how much sense it would make for the Blues unless the season looks like last year. Then I could picture a scenario in which the organization tries to shed some salary to get a little younger while acquiring cost-effective goaltending to help Hofer reach the contending window.
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