In the middle of this wild and everlastingly entertaining Olympic Tournament, there is some time here between rounds to re-focus on St. Louis Blues hockey. Once these games wrap up, and it is back to the regular season, there are a lot of decisions that have to be made.
One of those important changes is a change in goaltending. ProHockeyRumors has a very interesting rumor on how the Blues can handle that situation. It involves packagain Binnington in a mega-deal for a division rival's budding goaltender.
Let's break this one down and really get into it.
The blockbuster?
ProHockeyRumors writer Rob Ellis has Binnington and star forward Robert Thomas heading to Minnesota for rising star goaltender Jesper Wallstedt. There is a lot of red tape to jump through with this one, but it is one that could really work out if it ever were to come to fruition.
The two most crucial things here are that both have conditions in their contracts, and both contracts carry some heavy baggage. Binnington has a 14-team No-Trade Clause, and Thomas has a No-Trade Clause until his current deal ends at the end of 2030-31. Both contracts pack a punch with the goaltender at $6 million and the forward at $8.125 million AAV.
Wallstedt, who is a growing goaltender trying to establish himself, is a much more manageable contract worth an AAV of $2.2 million through the end of next season. The Wild just took on a huge contract in Quinn Hughes, but their championship window is wide open right now. They have to go all-in on the rest of the 2025-26 season, and they have an opportunity to run it back at least two more times before having to worry about the next chapter of their franchise.
The Blues need to stock up on their future, and the Wild are improving their odds at lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history this upcoming summer.
This trade should be entertained by GM Armstrong
This is a lot to give up on the Blues' end, but it should still be entertained. Backup goaltender Joel Hofer is still an unproven talent, and his place in the future of this franchise is designated to be the next franchise goaltender. Who knows if he can handle that type of pressure? The Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong should be listening to any and all offers for any of his players once the season opens back up, and grabbing another up-and-coming goaltender should be at the top of the list.
For Thomas, this is a hard pill to swallow, but it might be time to move on. The core of this group is underperforming, and these no-movement clauses will be harder to move once these players get older. Thomas is a great player who defines what it means to be a Blue, but if this is his true potential, it is simply not enough.
Should the Blues go ahead and acquire Wallstedt from Minnesota for Binnington and Thomas?