The St. Louis Blues are in the process of a retool, as evidenced by their moves at the trade deadline. One player who wasn't moved, despite plenty of reporting and rumors, was goaltender Jordan Binnington. The player who helped bring the Blues their first Stanley Cup title in 2019 was in the process of being phased out this season due to poor play and the emergence of Joel Hofer. Now with one more year left on his contract, moving Binnington now to get something in return would help the Blues, considering their current standing in the NHL.
There are plenty of teams that are going to be looking for goaltending help, especially those that are seeking a run to a Stanley Cup title. There is one team that has interestingly been linked to Binnington.
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos unveiled his latest trade board for the offseason. Unsurprisingly, Binnington was one of the players on there. But, Kypreos brought up the Florida Panthers as a team to keep an eye on, especially if they decide to move on from Sergei Bobrovsky.
"Binnington will be heading into the final season of his contract and has a 10-team no-trade list. I think the Oilers are still looking into this. I also think there’s a possibility that Sergei Bobrovsky can find more money as a free agent this summer and leaves Florida, which would make the Panthers another candidate for Binnington. It seems like the market for Binnington is beginning to grow again and that his future is not in St. Louis," writes Kypreos.
Panthers emerge as interesting trade partner with Blues for Jordan Binnington
Now this would be an interesting landing spot for Binnington. He does carry a 10-team no-trade clause, and you'd have to imagine the Blues will at least honor that and allow him to join a team he wants to. But if there is a bidding war with another goaltender-needy team, the Blues could stand to get some solid pieces in return, given how stacked the Panthers roster is. They are the gold standard in the NHL in terms of how to build a championship team. Florida's front office is being purged, as evidenced by assistant general manager Sunny Mehta being hired by the New Jersey Devils.
Yes, the Panthers missed out on the playoffs this season and by a significant margin, but this was a team that was bitten by the injury bug a lot. If the roster was healthy, one would have to imagine they'd make it to the playoffs with relative ease. Regardless, this is a team that is entering an uncomfortable situation with Bobrovsky, who is set to hit free agency at 37-years-old, and is looking for a contract comparable to Brad Marchand's six-year, $31.5 million contract the Panthers gave him last offseason. Given his age, that might be too much of an ask, especially considering he plays goaltender.
Binnington, admittedly, was dreadful at points for the Blues in the regular season. In 41 games (39 starts), Binnington recorded a 3.33 goals allowed average, a .873 save percentage, and a 13-20-7 record. But Binnington really raised his stock during the Winter Olympics as Canada's starting goaltender. In five starts, Binnington posted a 1.78 goals allowed average, a .917 save percentage, and a 4-1 record for Canada, who won the silver medal.
The Blues roster could look a lot different by the time the first game of the 2026-27 season emerges. This is a team that could trade away the likes of Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Colton Parayko this offseason to bring in younger players and draft picks. For Binnington, the Blues will certainly hope they could get a decent haul for them. The Panthers could provide the Blues the assets they need to help with their retool, while putting Binnington on a legitimate Stanley Cup contender next season.
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