Using an "anonymous panel of coaches and goalies," Jesse Granger of The Athletic ranked 38 starting-caliber netminders, and Jordan Binnington clocked in at No. 7, an impeccable rating for one of the St. Louis Blues' most distinguished players.
Joel Hofer, however, was absent from those rankings, despite appearing in 31 games, making 28 starts, and putting up better numbers than some of those listed, with a 0.904 save percentage, a 2.64 GAA, a shutout, and a 0.643 quality starts percentage.
Names like Samuel Ersson, Charlie Lindgren, Tristan Jarry, Elvis Merzlikins, and Calvin Pickard all made the cut. So, why not include Hofer? But honestly, this isn't exactly bad news if you're a Blues fan wondering why The Athletic iced him from the rankings.
Joel Hofer didn't fit the criteria for any of the 5 tiers
When conducting these rankings, Granger used five tiers, with "Tier 1" being "World Class," "High-Level Starter" for "Tier 2," "Strong Tandem Starter" in "Tier 3," "Unproven or Tandem Goalies" in "Tier 4," and "1B or Quality Backups" in "Tier 5."
While Hofer is, at worst in this point in this career, a 1B if he played for a team that didn't have Jordan Binnington as its starter, the goaltenders listed are either pure starters or those fighting for a starting spot, netminders who have made a living as a backup, or those who will start, but will be part of a timeshare.
Hofer is a unique case, since he's only been a full-timer NHLer for two seasons, putting up gaudy numbers when called to play, but is in no position to overtake Jordan Binnington as the top goaltender in Arch City.
If Hofer were in a city like Detroit, Buffalo, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh, and he put up those same numbers that he ended with in 2024-25, he would have made the list. But because of the criteria and the goaltenders listed under that criteria, there was no logical place to put Hofer.
Joel Hofer will get recognition soon enough
At some point in the next few seasons, Binnington will start making way for Hofer, and that could begin as early as 2025-26. Hofer has proven he can handle more time in the crease, even as Binnington continues to dominate games, which kept the Blues in playoff contention in 2024-25.
Once Hofer logs a good 35-plus games and roughly 32 starts, he'll most likely appear on a list like the one Granger concocted in Tier IV, before climbing the rankings year by year. Excluding Hofer from the 38 goaltenders listed wasn't a knock on him, but more of the fact that there was really nowhere to put him.