The St. Louis Blues return to action on Thursday night where they host the Seattle Kraken. But for the Blues, the team could look different within the next week, as the March 6 trade deadline is quickly approaching. Names like Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk, and Jordan Kyrou have all been floated as potential players of interest to other teams. But there is one name that has some perplexing trade value, and that's goalie Jordan Binnington.
Binnington is fresh off of a strong stretch of games in the Olympic games, winning a silver medal for Canada. But it's a different story in terms of his play with the Blues this season, which was shaky at best. Yet, as we all know, it only takes one team to believe in Binnington's abilities to help them win some games down this final stretch of the season. There is one team that has been heavily linked to the veteran goalie.
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos discussed Binnington in his latest trade board. When discussing potential landing spots for Binnington, Kypreos brought up the Carolina Hurricanes.
Hurricanes brought up as potential landing spot for Jordan Binnington
"I know the Hurricanes just signed Brandon Bussi to an extension, but if the Hurricanes want to take a run at Tampa Bay this year, they should seriously consider looking at Binnington," writes Kypreos.
Kypreos wasn't the only person in the know to link Binnington to the Hurricanes. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period asked aloud whether the Hurricanes should explore a trade for Binnington.
"The St. Louis Blues are willing to listen on just about any player over the age of 25, including goaltender Jordan Binnington, who has one more year left on his contract. Does a team like Carolina make a push for the 32-year-old netminder," writes Pagnotta.
The Hurricanes appeared to hit gold this season by giving Brandon Bussi a shot in net. The 27-year-old was given his first start on Oct. 14 against the San Jose Sharks, where he stopped 16-of-17 shots in a 5-1 victory for Carolina. Bussi has split time with Frederick Anderson, who went 7-10-5 and posted a save percentage of .871 in 22 games. As for Bussi, he posted a 23-3-1 record, a 2.16 goals allowed average, and a .908 save percentage in 27 games.
Carolina rewarded Bussi with a three-year, $5.7 million contract extension during this season. While he has been playing outstandingly, there is uncertainty whether he can keep it up in the playoffs. Even though Binnington has had an up-and-down season with the Blues, as evidenced by his 8-17-6 record, 3.86 goals allowed average, and a .864 save percentage, he helped Canada win some games in the Olympics. In five starts for Canada, Binnington put up a 4-1 record, a 1.78 goals allowed average, and a .917 save percentage.
It's unknown what the Blues would get in return for Binnington, but there are teams that need goaltending help outside of the Hurricanes, such as the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers. Again, all it takes is one team that wants to shore up their goaltending before the playoffs to make an offer for Binnington. We'll see if the Hurricanes are that team.