For most of the 2025-26 season, the St. Louis Blues were undone by the lousiest goaltending tandem in the league. Jordan Binnington never recovered, but Joel Hofer was another story: he nearly saved the Blues from a playoff miss, though it all came too little too late.
Impact in 2025-26
What a reset the 2026 Winter Olympic break provided for Hofer. In the 30 games he played before the NHL paused for the Milan break, Hofer sported an ugly 12-15-3 record, a 2.7 goals-against average (GAA), and an .895 save percentage (SV%). The Blues were flirting with a top-five draft pick and a sure playoff miss.
Then, in the 16 games after the Olympics, Hofer went on an incredible run, going 12-2-2 with a 2.1 GAA and .931 (!!) SV%. He went from part of the worst goaltending duo in hockey to finishing the season with 11.7 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx), per MoneyPuck--11th best in the league among goaltenders with more than 40 games.
The Blues did end up missing the playoffs by a handful of points, but nothing bad could be said about Hofer's play down the stretch. The turnaround didn't come in time to salvage the season, but boy, has Hofer set expectations high for next season.
Expectations for 2026-27
Unless Binnington is able to turn back the clock for what could be his final season in St. Louis, Hofer is going to have to be the backbone of this team. As a result, he'll have to stay healthy, because an injury to Hofer could utterly derail any hopes the Blues have of getting back to the postseason.
There's also Hofer's contract to discuss. He's entering the final year of his two-year, $3.4-million annual average value (AAV) bridge deal, and will need to be signed by next July 1, lest the Blues be hit with an offer sheet. As the cap goes up, Hofer's going to want to get paid, and a strong season will certainly boost his earnings. It'll be a delicate dance between Hofer's camp and general manager Alex Steen on when to get a contract done, what the cap hit will be, and for how long Hofer will be in St. Louis.
If last season's stellar finish is anything to go off of, then we can--at the very least--expect Hofer to be league average or better between the pipes. At 26 years old, however, Hofer's in the early days of his prime, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him ranked as a top-ten starter by the end of the season.
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