The start of the NHL's 2026-27 regular season is just around the bend, and teams are gearing up for a long 84-game season. The good news is the preseason is much shorter, but two additional intense, regular-season games on the road to the playoffs is sure to prove taxing for players--especially goaltenders, who may need to have their workloads managed a bit differently than in seasons prior.
The St. Louis Blues, however, may not have that luxury. Jordan Binnington had a rough season, and the Blues would've been much closer to a lottery pick had Joel Hofer not become a brick wall after the Winter Olympics. Add in a difficult spate of games to start the season, and things could get ugly quickly if the goaltending isn't sorted--and a lot of that will rest on Hofer's ability to start a lot of games.
The first five games
One has to wonder if the league has some level of animosity towards the Blues, as they're starting their season on the road with back-to-back games against the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche--two of the best teams in the league. Getting a point in the standings at all that weekend will be quite a feat for the outmatched Blues.
The Blues get a bit of reprieve the following week, with a road game against the Connor Bedard-less Chicago Blackhawks that shouldn't pose too much trouble for them. Then, in their first home game of the year, the Blues welcome the San Jose Sharks, who are stacked with young talent but still unproven (outside of Macklin Celebrini, of course). The Blues are probably the better team, but a lot of young Sharks will be trying to prove to their coaches that they deserve to stick in the NHL.
That first week wraps up with another home game, this time against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets are a tricky team to assess: they've got some good young players (Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko) and the reigning Norris Trophy winner (Zach Werenski), but things never seem to go quite their way. Add in the offseason drama of Marchenko saying he's unlikely to re-sign with the team and Werenski doing damage control after nixing a trade to the Stars, and it's anybody's guess how the team's going to perform this year.
The Blues' goalie split
After being lights out down the stretch last year, Joel Hofer should be the starting goaltender for the Blues. Asking him to play all five games to start the season, however--including a back-to-back--may be a bit much. Those first two games will be split between Hofer and Binnington; it's just a question of who gets the Stars and who gets the Avalanche. If the Blues follow the standard order of starter getting game one, backup getting game two, then Hofer should face the Avs and Binnington will have to deal with Dallas.
For the next three games, it would not be surprising to see Hofer start each one. The one thing that could get Binnington a start is legacy: this could be Binnington's last season with the Blues, and giving him the start at the home opener may be a sign of respect for all the netminder has done in St. Louis. We'll say that's how everything shakes out.
So to recap, Hofer will get three games, and Binnington will get two. It eases Hofer into his first season as a true NHL starter and gives Binnington the second half of a back-to-back and the home opener.
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