This past season, Blues netminder Jordan Binnington set the franchise record for wins at 152. He has continued to win since then and is still adding to his total, but there is no doubt that his legacy is the strongest of all goaltenders in St. Louis history.
Currently, Binnington sits at 173 wins, the most for a goalie in franchise history by a wide margin. Binnington is under contract through 2027 and will likely get an extension to remain as the Blues' starter, meaning he will have firmly established himself in the upper echelon of Blues all-time greats.
Is there another step for Binnington? Can he achieve even higher heights and cement himself within the inner circle of historic Blues? It would seem there's still just a little left to prove for Binnington.
The regular season
Where Binnington leaves the most to be desired is with the regular season. Binnington has a career record of 173-116-36, a very impressive pace. Continuing at this level of play would be enough for Binnington to retire as a great goalie in his time, but I think there could be another level yet to come.
The goalie aging curve typically comes a little later than skaters, and Binner is entering his age-32 season. In his last two seasons, he set matching totals of 28 wins, which are both the second-highest single-season win total he has set. His best win total came in his second season in 2020, when he recorded 30 wins.
This demonstrates a level of confidence and experience that Binnington has earned through his trials and tribulations during his time in the league. He clearly has always had the talent, as demonstrated by that 30-win season, but it has taken some time for him to be able to perform at that level consistently. Now that he has shown consistency in back-to-back seasons, however, I believe we could be seeing the next step in Jordan Binnington's evolution.
The regular season is where Binnington has the most to prove, where he can go out and get back into the Vezina conversation and have another solid and consistent season. Where he has nothing left to prove as a stellar goaltender is when the lights shine the brightest.
The postseason
Jordan Binnington might be the best active goalie in the NHL when it comes to big moments and high-leverage situations. He has proven that at every opportunity as one of the game's best big-game goalies.
In his career in the playoffs, Binnington has a .909 SV% and a 2.70 GAA. In the 2022 postseason alone, Binnington posted an absurd .949 SV% before he was unfortunately injured and removed from play.
Binnington also made a statement with his performance in the finals of the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he earned the adoration and respect of Canadian hockey fans, stealing away the clinching game from the USA.
In big games, especially in elimination games, there is no one better in the net than Binner. This was even true in the Blues' heartbreaking loss to the Winnipeg Jets this year, where Binnington stopped 43 of 47 shots and registered a .915 SV% in that game.
Binnington is as cold as ice when the moment heats up, and now the league is on notice for when this man gets into the postseason.
Accolades and legacy: Better than we think?
So, where does this leave Binnington's career and trajectory? What is left for him to accomplish? There appear to be two large remaining goals for Binnington to claim with his final years in St. Louis.
The first is perhaps the most obvious: becoming a Vezina finalist or winning the award as the NHL's best goalie. Binnington has received Vezina votes only twice in his career, in the first two years of NHL action. Some might say he should have received votes in other years, but the fact is his play was not convincing enough as compared to the rest of the league to firmly earn himself Vezina consideration.
Winning a Vezina would be the last great trophy to add to his list of accolades, but a top-3 Vezina finalist finish would demonstrate well enough his supreme ability.
The only other thing on Binner's mind now surely is winning another cup. Leading two different rosters to a Stanley Cup victory would put Binnington in rare air as a goalie, greatly bolstering his legacy. However, I think he could take it a step further.
The Blues didn't end up getting it done that year, but in 2022, Binnington proved he has what it takes to steal a game or a series away from another team night after night, meaning he could win himself a Conn Smythe as the best performer in the playoffs.
When you think about the award in that framework, it makes the most sense that Binnington would be able to win a Conn Smythe in his career as a notable playoff performer and big game winner.
Finally, with his chance at winning these two awards and with his trajectory so far, I actually believe there is a third goal he could set his sights on: the Hockey Hall of Fame.
I know it might sound crazy to read, but let's just go down this path for a moment. The most recent goalie inductee was Mike Vernon, who played in the 80s and 90s mostly for the Calgary Flames. Vernon has many years with Vezina votes, is a two-time Stanley Cup and one-time Conn Smythe winner, and finished his career with a record of 385-274-92 in 782 career games played.
As previously established, Binnington has the ability to match him in the accolades and Vezina votes, but he still has to go out and do it. When analyzing his wins, however, Binnington is actually pacing much better than Vernon and could finish his career with close to 400 wins as a goalie even if he doesn't improve (which he very easily could).
It is very far from a lock and is probably a long shot, but when thinking of a projection on Binnington's career, I think there is absolutely the upside of a future Hall of Famer. It would take a lot of effort from Binnington and some serious accolades to be earned, but it's all in front of the best goaltender in Blues franchise history to go out and earn his place in hockey history.