For years, the Blues have not had to worry about their goaltending situation. They have had franchise icon Jordan Binnington in between the pipes for the past seven seasons. During this time, he was one of the best goalies in the game and was a large reason for the Blues' success. However, this season has seen Binnington take a step back. In 32 games, he has a .864 save percentage and a 3.65 goals against average. This play has caused many to believe it's time to trade Binnington.
The main thing holding the Blues back is the question of who will replace Binnington. The favorite to take over is backup goalie Joel Hofer. The 25-year-old has been the Blues' backup for the past few seasons and has put up decent numbers. However, the worry is that Hofer has currently taken a step back statistically. Despite the struggles this season, Hofer is more than capable of being the Blues' starting goalie if Binnington is moved.
Joel Hofer is more than ready to be the Blues full time starter
While Hofer's numbers look bad, they are a bit misleading. They are held back by a terrible start to the season. Over the first two months of the season, he posted an .851 save percentage and a 4.17 goals against average in 11 games. But since then, his numbers have improved significantly. Between the months of December and January, he started 15 games, had a 2.45 goals against average, and a .910 save percentage.
Sure, he allowed six goals in his loan start in February, but this seems to be more of an outlier. His struggles can also be explained by the defense in front of him being subpar. As a team, the Blues have a 119.73 xGA and allowed 510 high-danger scoring chances. The number of high-danger scoring chances ranks 13th-worst in the league. With Hofer having a .753 save percentage against high-danger shots, this is setting him up to fail.
Hofer is the type of goalie who needs constant reps in order to be good. His best month this season came when he got the most time in the net. During December, he appeared in 9 games and posted a season-low 2.20 goals-against average and a season-high .926 save percentage. It's safe to assume that if Hofer were promoted to starter and got constant time in the net, his numbers would look similar to what they were in December.
Now, making Hofer the full-time starter this season won't change things. Regardless of who is in net, the Blues are destined to miss the playoffs and be one of the first teams selecting in the draft. But giving Hofer the reins gives him the opportunity to prove he can be the team starter going forward. The Blues need to start identifying which players can make up the next core, and there is no better time than during a lost season.
There are plenty of reasons to be hesitant about trading Binnington. Fears that he will improve and move on from a franchise icon are both valid concerns. However, Hofer not being ready to be the starter should not be one of them.