It's been a rough end to the preseason for the St. Louis Blues. Tyler Tucker's out week-to-week with an injury, Logan Mailloux's going to miss eight weeks after successful hand surgery. They did claim Justin Barron on waivers, though, and Adam Jiricek has a chance to make a real impact as a rookie pro. Unfortunately, that leaves the defense group in a weaker position than it was a week ago.
The good news is, it may not matter with Joel Hofer in net.
Hofer climbs the rankings
Today, over at The Athletic, they released their rankings of 45 NHL goaltenders, decided on by coaches and goalie experts. The usual suspects like Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin are at the top, but the Blues' Joel Hofer makes an appearance in Tier 3 after going unranked last season--that's quite a jump! He's tied for 24 with the Seattle Kraken's Joey Daccord, at the end of that "Strong Starter" tier.
The panelists were effusive in their praise of Hofer, with one responding "I see his confidence growing and I think he could be a Tier 2." Tier 2 is "Franchise Starting Goalie," which is described as a "top 10 goalie in the league," which would be an incredible position of strength for the Blues. One panelist even predicts Hofer will inherit Jordan Binnington's mantle as starter for Team Canada!
We saw down the stretch last season how good Hofer can be. The next step will be seizing full control of the starter job, then continuing to play at a high level in the postseason. It's a contract year, so expect him to give this season everything he's got to get a lucrative contract next summer.
Binnington on the decline
Meanwhile, the other Blues' goaltender dropped considerably in the rankings. Jordan Binnington fell from Tier 2 at the start of last year to Tier 4 this year; Tier 4 represents "Unproven or Tandem Goalies," and Binnington's tied for 31st.
That drop is unsurprising after just how bad Binnington was last year. Sure, he was good for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in Milan--and wasn't the reason they lost in the gold medal game--but that doesn't absolve him of his regular season shortcomings.
Like Hofer, it's a contract year for Binnington. Barring injury or a decline in play, the crease should be Hofer's to start the season, with Binnington backing up and maybe rekindling a bit of his value. The Blues will need both netminders to play well if they have any hope of nabbing a wildcard spot in a competitive Central Division.
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