We're wrapping up our Olympic break player grades with the goaltenders, of which the St. Louis Blues have only used two this season: Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington. The Blues have had good health in the crease but, unfortunately, that hasn't translated to quality play. Let's break down each goalie, looking at the few positives and the many negatives.
Jordan Binnington: F
There's just no other grade that Binnington can receive for his play this season; it has been a failure on just about every measurable level. Binnington's minus-24.9 Goals Saved Above expected (GSAx), per Money Puck, is the worst in the NHL among all goaltenders. His 3.65 Goals Against Average (GAA) is fifth worst among netminders who've played ten games this year; his .864 Save Percentage (SV%) is the fourth worst within those same parameters. The 2025-26 season will, almost certainly, go down as Binnington's worst of his career.
There is, however, one way he can salvage it for himself: by backstopping the Canadian Olympic team to a Gold Medal in Milan. Whether he's capable of such a feat is the main question on everyone's mind but, if he plays like he did in last year's Four Nations tournament, he could get the starting nod for Canada's most important games.
With one year left on his contract and constantly in trade rumors, this very well could be Binnington's final season with the Blues. It'll be a shame if it ends on such a low note, but we'll always have that Stanley Cup run in 2019.
Joel Hofer: D+
It hasn't been a strong season from Hofer by any stretch but, compared to how awful his tandem partner's been, Hofer looks like a Vezina candidate. Hofer's minus-2.1 GSAx in the company of players like Charlie Lindgren and Joseph Woll--not the best of the best, but not the worst in the league, either. An .895 SV% isn't great, but it's not far off league average this season; Hofer doesn't get a pass so far this year, but he could get himself into "C" territory down the stretch--especially if a Binnington trade does come about and Hofer becomes the de facto starter.
What's promising is that, at 25 years old, Hofer has a lot of developmental runway left. Generally, starting netminders (or at least 1A tandem goalies) don't establish themselves until they're about 27 or 28 years old. If Hofer's already trending in the right direction at 25, the Blues could have an average-or-better goalie in their crease a couple years down the road. That, unfortunately, is the only real bright spot the Blues have had in the blue paint all season--and it's unlikely to dramatically improve by Game 82, either.