The St. Louis Blues have a goaltending problem. Starter Jordan Binnington has been one of the worst goaltenders in the league this season, and every chance he's had to turn it around has continued down his path of struggles.
There has been a lot of buzz around backup Joel Hofer, who seems to have a couple of good starts followed by a blowup game every now and then. If Hofer could find some consistency, does he have a real shot to take over in the starter's net?
Tonight against Winnipeg
Joel Hofer has perhaps his biggest test yet as the Blues host the Jets.
This will be the first time the Blues and Jets have played since their historic meeting in the playoffs last postseason, with the dreaded ending for the Blues that seems to have set this franchise back. Hofer enters the game as the starter with a chance to do what Binnington proved he could and steal a game from a tough divisional opponent in the Jets.
Hofer's addition to the lineup in this first meeting against the Jets does signal some confidence from the Blues in their young netminder. This is a huge game for both teams, who are struggling and on the outside looking in of the playoff race, and the chippiness and rivalry developed over the course of their fateful seven-game series last May could very well carry over into this season.
Expect this to be a heavy-hitting, angry game from both sides. This is the test Hofer has to stand against, and play against one of the best goaltending tandems in the entire NHL. Needless to say, the pressure is on.
However, if Hofer succeeds, there could be more in store for #30.
Can Hofer earn the starting job?
If Hofer proves himself against a tough divisional opponent with a lot on the line in a very emotional game, can that be enough to catapult him towards the path of becoming the starter?
I say it's more complicated than that. I think a big win tonight over Winnipeg will set Hofer on the path to becoming the starter, but I believe that would only be the beginning, and he'd still have a lot to prove before he takes over the netminder responsibility in its entirety.
Hofer is a young goaltender with a lot of promise, but he is still showing signs of struggle. His numbers this year at a .890 SV% and a -0.4 GSAx are not very inspiring metrics, and more indicative of probably an average goalie.
And maybe that's all Hofer is, an average goalie behind a bad defense. However, if he goes out and proves tonight that he is more than that, I think there will be serious questions arising around the Blues' sphere as to whether or not Hofer is the future of the Blues' blue crease.
In such a tough environment, to go out and have a statement win would go a long way towards Hofer becoming this team's starter, but that would only be the launching point. Hofer still has a long way to go if he is going to truly earn consistent playing time as the primary backstop.