In a pre-draft press conference, St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was asked about current restricted free agent Joel Hofer. The Blues made it clear that they are not letting him go, and they will match any offer sheet that could come their way.
""I guess this is my shot across the bell that you can go after him, you're not going to get him.""Doug Armstrong
This seems like a clear shot at the Edmonton Oilers, who are in desperate need of a star goaltender despite making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons. The Blues, of course, gained Phillip Broberg and Dylan Holloway via offer sheet from Edmonton last offseason.
St. Louis' stance in keeping Hofer as the backup goalie to Jordan Binnington is the right call for a variety of reasons. The tandem between Hofer and Binnington has been one of the best goalie duos in the NHL over the past two years.
Hofer has not struggled since becoming a full-time netminder during the 2023-24 season. In his rookie year, the former fourth-round pick posted a 15-12-1 record with a .913 save percentage and allowed 2.65 goals per game.
Last season, Hofer went 16-8-3 with a .904 save percentage and allowed 2.64 goals per game. Hofer's efforts during the Blues' long winning streak last year helped cement the team into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The numbers from Hofer, though in limited time as a backup, if recorded over a full season, would make him an all-star caliber player. There are only a handful of teams in the league that would not want someone like Hofer as their starting goalie, let alone a team's backup.
Despite the stellar numbers from Hofer over the last two years, the Blues do not have another goalie who is ready to take over for him. 24-year-old Colten Ellis is the closest goalie the Blues have to the NHL.
After spending last season as the Springfield Thunderbirds' starting goalie, Ellis posted a 22-14-5 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.63 goals allowed mark. He led the Thunderbirds to the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the first round in three games.
This was Ellis' first full season in professional hockey after making the jump from the ECHL in 2023-24. After Ellis, Will Cranley is the only other goaltender under contract in the Blues' organization. Vadim Zherenko is a pending RFA, but the team does not have NHL-ready depth.
The Blues would need to add an NHL veteran who is willing to take a two-way contract, similar to what they did with Malcomb Subban a few years ago. Taking a goalie in the upcoming draft could be a wise move from Armstrong and the Blues as well.
However, unless the goalie comes out of the first round of the draft with the 19th pick from the Blues, it is likely that the player would be too far away to make an impact that would affect either Binnington or Hofer.
Keeping Hofer is the smart call and will eventually be a number one goalie in the NHL. St. Louis would be wise to make sure that when the day comes for Hofer to take over as the number one, he is replacing Binnington.