Jordan Binnington has been a key member of the St. Louis Blues for years. He's entering the final year of his six-year, $6-million annual average value (AAV) extension that he signed way back in March of 2021. At 33 years old, Binnington's one of the veteran pillars of the Blues as they transition into a new era--and he's about to have the strangest season of his career.
Binnington bursts onto the scene
It's a well-worn tale in the minds of Blues fans: the team was at the bottom of the standings in the middle of the 2018-19 season when Binnington was called up from the minors. On January 7, he shut out the Philadelphia Flyers and proceeded to go on one of the most ridiculous heaters in recent memory. After that win, Binnington went a staggering 23-5-1 and posted an absurd .927 save percentage (SV%), carrying the Blues to a playoff berth and, eventually, a Stanley Cup Championship.
He was 25 years old, and it appeared the Blues had found their starting goaltender for years to come.
The post-championship Blues
Things didn't go quite as well for St. Louis in the years after their championship. Then-GM Doug Armstrong let Alex Pietrangelo walk, then used the money to sign several other defensemen to long-term, high-value contracts that weren't nearly as impactful as Pietrangelo had been. The Blues struggled whenever they made the playoffs, and missed during a couple of seasons as well.
Binnington, to his credit, held up his end of the bargain: from 2020 to 2025, he posted a .905 SV% and 2.87 goals-against average (GAA), and had only one season (2022-23) below .900. Goalies don't win Vezinas with those numbers, but, at the very least, the Blues' goaltending wasn't sinking them.
That changed last season, though. Binnington may've been solid in Milan for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but back in St. Louis, he was one of the worst goalies in the league; he finished the season with an .873 SV% and a 3.33 GAA--both the worst marks of his career.
Lucky for the Blues, Joel Hofer seems ready to step up.
The future of the Blues' blue paint
Hofer started 43 games during 2025-26, finishing with a .909 SV% and 2.61 GAA; he looks poised to be the starting netminder of the Blues' future, heir to Binnington's role between the pipes.
That leaves Binnington in an odd place, because he has never been a backup goalie in the NHL.
Sure, you could argue he was a backup in December of 2018, but weeks later he was the team's starter--and has been ever since. Binnington is approaching the twilight of his career, and his contract's trade protections are now a paltry 10-team no-trade list; GM Alex Steen could easily move Binnington for future assets as the Blues continue to retool. Maybe it comes to that by the trade deadline, but for now, Binnington's set to play behind Hofer.
How Binnington adapts to his new role will be an interesting storyline to watch. He's a feisty competitor and comes up big in important games--but after last year's regular season performance, it's hard to trust him on a night-to-night basis. We'll have to wait and see how he handles the strangeness of transitioning from being the team's starter to the second in a tandem.
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