Without question, the best season in St. Louis Blues history was the 2018-19 season. That was the season when the team got red hot in January and rode that to the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship. Arguably, the most important player on that team was goaltender Jordan Binnington. The Blues' hot streak coincided with Binnington becoming the starting goalie. Since then, Binnington has been a staple of the Blues roster.
Although Binnington means a lot to fans and the history of the organization, things are changing in St. Louis. There are currently only four players left from that championship on the Blues. It feels like the franchise is starting a new chapter and wants to start fresh. This fresh start could mean moving on completely from the franchise icon. But why would the Blues potentially move on from a franchise icon?
It's possible that Jordan Binnington might wear another sweater one day
It's fair to say that Binnington is no longer the goaltender he was at the start of his career. During his first three years in the NHL, he posted a .915 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.42. However, over the last four seasons, his save percentage has dropped to .902%, and he has a goals-against average of 2.99. While this does not seem like a significant drop off, it's being propped up by his elite 2023-24 season. When that season is taken out, those numbers fall to a .898 save percentage and a 3.04 goals against average.
What makes these stats even worse, that Binnington has been the play of backup goalie Joel Hofer. He made his NHL debut during the 2021-22 season, the same one that Binnington's play started to fall off. In these four years, he has a save percentage of .907% and a goals against average of 2.71. He even put up his best season during 2023-24, the same year as Binnington's best season of the last four years. That suggests that Binnington's success that season had more to do with the team as a whole rather than Binnington rediscovering his success.
The regime change of the Blues also makes moving on from Binnington easier. While General Manager Doug Armstrong is still in charge, new head coach Jim Montgomery is trying to change the culture of the Blues. Montgomery has always favored a two-goalie system. Instead of sticking with one primary goaltender and a backup, he likes to have two goalies who are starting caliber and can produce when called upon.
This new philosophy will make giving Binnigton another long-term contract non-logical. Binnigton's contract is up at the end of the 2026-27 season and doesn't seem to align with the team's direction. Why pay Binnigton top dollar and commit a significant portion of their salary cap to a goalie who'll receive an equal amount of playing time as the other goalie? The smarter move would be to pay a little less for a fringe starter that pairs nicely with Hofer.
Although it's hard to move on from a franchise icon like Binnigton, it could be the best course of action. It could be the move that officially turns the page on the 2019 cup team and ushers in the next era of Blues dominance.