The St. Louis Blues’ putrid goaltending situation has been a surprise to no one paying attention this season. The Blues sit 30th in the league in goals against, averaging 3.64 goals per game. Only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks are worse off than the Blues.
While the defense hasn’t exactly been stellar in front of the Blues’ netminders, one analyst pins most of the blame on one key player.
Analyst Craig Button unloaded on the Blues’ goaltending situation, in particular, starting netminder Jordan Binnington. In the November 20 edition of Frankly Hockey, Button spoke with insider Frank Seravalli regarding the St. Louis situation in the crease.
Button had this to say about it:
“Here’s what I think about the St. Louis Blues: Their goaltending stinks. I don't know how else… I think they’ve got a whole lot of other areas of their game that have been solid. Not at the top-end level, Jordan Binnington has been terrible. I don't know what else to say.”
Button’s unfiltered comments underscore just how bad things have been for the 32-year-old netminder. He’s posted some of his career-worst numbers this season. Thus far, he’s appeared in 15 games, winning five, while posting a 3.13 GAA and an .880 SV%.
Binnington’s GAA is not the worst in his career, but his save percentage is. It’s well below his career-worst .894 mark set in 2022-23.
That situation prompted Button to declare:
“Here’s the thing with Jordan Binnington: This is not something that’s new. This is something that’s plagued him in previous seasons… It’s not all on Jordan Binnington, but Jordan Binnington is about 60% of the problem in my view.”
What percentage blame does the goaltending get for #stlblues putrid first quarter of the season?@CraigJButton doesn't leave you guessing on Frankly Hockey. pic.twitter.com/C0AC6UEef6
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) November 21, 2025
Given such a stern opinion, it may be time for the Blues to explore other alternatives that could spark a turnaround for the team.
Trading Binnington may not be solution for the Blues
Picking up on Button’s comments, the solution could be to trade Jordan Binnington. While that may be a simplistic solution, the fact is that the issue is much more complex. The goalie market, as it stands, is not quite so clear-cut. There are virtually no starting goalies available at this time.
So, even if the Blues wanted to make a splash, who could they get in return? The one goalie that really comes to mind is the Buffalo Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Would a Luukkonenfor-Binnington swap solve the matter? That’s about as certain as betting on the stock market to rise or fall on any given day. Things can turn on a dime on any given night.
While Binnington has proven himself capable of going on a tear, it seems like this could be one of his down years. Unfortunately, Binnington’s downswing seems to be dragging the entire team down.
As a result, Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong will have to decide: Is Binnington the problem or the team in front of him?
Unfortunately, time is running out to make that call this season.