St. Louis Blues: Jordan Binnington, the unsung leader?

Statistically, Jordan Binnington had one of the most remarkable seasons of his playing career. The St. Louis Blues goaltender concluded the season with a .913 SV%, which marked the second-best year of his career.

He protected the goal from 1786 shot attempts and logged his second-highest ice time of his career.

After starting 55 games, he ended with a record of 28-21-5.

In his post-season interview for 2023-24, a number of topics were brought up in the Q&A session, emphasizing his importance as both a skilled goaltender and a strong leader within the Blues organization.

St. Louis Blues: Jordan Binnington is an accomplished leader

With the emergence of goaltender Joel Hofer, Binnington has found himself in a unique situation. It can be argued that he's providing mentorship to Hofer and gaining knowledge from the young goalie himself.

In his post-season interview with reporters, Binnington praised the job of head coach Drew Bannister and spoke openly about his success.

Binnington also acknowledged weaknesses within the current roster and the early-season performance, notably proclaiming a “lack of urgency.”

Binnington's own words highlight the challenges the team faced in the early part of the season, due to a lack of continuity and urgency.

The Cup star says all the right things and acknowledges that experience is perhaps the most important factor in his success this past season.

Binnington, a veteran player, achieved not only a Cup win but also an unprecedented level of success in NHL playoff history. His words carry weight in the hockey world, so they should listen when he speaks.  

While goaltenders don’t wear the letter C on their jerseys, a strong argument can be made that Binnington is a bit of a captain himself in a locker room that will inevitably face new challenges and additions going forward.

Not every player is molded to lead, but it’s been made apparent that the St. Louis Blues will benefit from a vocal Binnington, who can continue to mentor Joel Hofer and encourage and motivate upcoming skaters entering the mix for full-time play.

Expect to hear more from Jordan Binnington; he may be the team's best leader.