Let's be real for just a moment and accept the fact that being a backup goalie in the National Hockey League is, well, not the most glamorous of positions on a nightly basis. Oftentimes, fans only see the backup sitting on the bench with the rest of the team dressed out to play and just sitting around.
That's where the assumption ends - backup goalies are probably some of the most important players on the bench, and without them, teams could be in a lot of trouble. In all reality, lots of hockey players can play a couple of positions, but how many players can step in between the pipes and do the job of a goalie?
We almost forget that at any given second, a backup netminder can be called into action in the middle of a heated game or a plain-old blowout where there's little glory short of simply stopping the bleeding in a losing effort. Despite these scenarios, a good backup goalie is worth more than their weight in gold, and in a playoff push, an outstanding backup netminder can truly make a difference between the postseason and watching the playoffs from a living room couch.
Joel Hofer adds valuable depth to the goaltending position for the Blues
The natural spotlight between the pipes for the St. Louis Blues on a nightly basis rightly goes to starter Jordan Binnington and he's earned this role game after game and season after season. It's doubtful any hockey fans in general can hold fault with Binnington, especially after his recent heroic efforts in the Four Nations Faceoff tournament, where he helped seal an overtime win for Team Canada. However, starting goalies cannot play every single night with an equally high level of intensity, and the St. Louis Blues are lucky to have backup goalie Joel Hofer helping defend the pipes behind Binnington.
Joel Hofer brings both size (6'5", 179 pounds) and youth (age 24) to the Blues at a critical time this season when Jordan Binnington could potentially flame out due to fatigue and nagging injuries that plague every goaltender. While Hofer has a pretty solid 13-7-3 record this season with an overall 2.71 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, his recent efforts clearly show off his value to the Blues as they head down the final regular season stretch. In his last four outings, Hofer has registered a stellar 2-0-1 record with an impressive 1.26 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage, including saving 22 of 23 shots against the Nashville Predators this week.
While the jury is still out on the Blues' fate as the NHL season transitions into the Stanley Cup playoffs, goalies like Joel Hofer are a great commodity for a team to have in its back pocket. Hofer is a relative bargain with a salary cap hit of just $775,000 and he will become a restricted free agent (RFA) this summer. While Hofer isn't ready to take on the everyday netminding role for the Blues just yet, having him as a solid insurance policy makes complete sense and could pay crucial dividends for the Blues as the team looks towards the postseason come next month.