At this point, the discussion regarding the St. Louis Blues' starting goalie is pretty much moot. It’s clear that Joel Hofer is the guy.
And boy did he pick one heck of a season to turn into a beast.
Hofer’s performance on Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets was all the proof that anyone needed. The 26-year-old kept the Blues in the game long enough for a Philip Broberg power play goal to deliver a 2-1 victory. Hofer delivered 32 saves, earning a much-deserved win.
That said, Hofer is now 3-2-1 with one shutout to go with a 2.19 GAA and a .919 SV%. Those are the numbers the Blues want to see from their starting goalie.
And it also means they’ll have to pay up at some point.
Hofer is in the final year of a two-year deal carrying a $3.4 million cap hit. That’s a ridiculous number for a starting goalie in today’s NHL. But it won’t be that cheap for much longer. The Blues will need to pay up, as Hofer is slated to become an RFA this summer. As such, the big question will be how much St. Louis will have to pay to keep their starting goalie.
Joel Hofer could opt for two paths with Blues
There are essentially two paths to go with Joel Hofer. The first is to sign a short-term bridge deal. That might be the easiest way out, as the cap ceiling continues to rise, along with player contracts.
So, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Hofer sign another two-year deal at something along the lines of Jordan Binnington’s current $6 million cap hit.
The other road is to go for a long-term deal. Something like a six or seven-year deal might make sense. That would likely cost the Blues upwards of $6 million per season. That situation, however, might be tricky. The Blues would have to be convinced that Hofer really is the guy. If that’s the confidence the organization has in him, the team could afford to sign him for the long haul.
Regardless of what Alex Steen chooses to do, there’s pressure to get something done sooner rather than later. Hofer could be the target of an offer sheet. That’s why the Blues would do well to take care of their business before someone else does it for them.
If there’s anything that we’ve learned this summer, it’s that offer sheets are no longer a taboo issue. They’re going to become much more common, to the chagrin of vulnerable teams.
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