St. Louis Blues goalie prospect Colton Ellis is having a fantastic season in the AHL. In 26 games, Ellis has a record of 17-6-3 and a .926 save percentage. He should get a chance with the Blues once Jordan Binnington's contract is up with the Blues in a couple of years.
The Blues goaltending situation is a fluid one, and what they plan to do at the position can vary on who you ask. Either way, Blues fans should expect to see Ellis in the NHL in the next two seasons or so.
Who will Ellis be playing with?
If we're looking a couple of seasons down the road, one would think the goaltending tandem for St. Louis would be Hofer/Ellis or Binnington/Ellis. Joel Hofer is a restricted free agent this summer, and Binnington isn't going anywhere, so we can assume the Blues will roll with Binnington/Hofer for one more season.
After that, that is where things get interesting. Do the Blues want to keep Binnington, let Hofer go and have Jordan mentor Ellis, or would they want to resign Hofer and run a young and high upside tandem of Hofer/Ellis? It's an interesting debate to have.
More information on Colton Ellis
Ellis was drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft by the Blues. He's 24 years old, so he has plenty of time to develop, and there's no need to rush him up to the NHL. Goalies always take a bit longer to develop than forwards or defenseman do.
Ellis started to see some success last season with Springfield. In 16 games, he had a 7-9-0 record and a .924 save percentage. If he keeps posting those types of numbers, he's definitely going to get the attention of Doug Armstrong and the Blues higher ups
What is the most likely scenario for the future of the Blues goaltending?
The most likely scenario is that the Blues will let Binnington walk, resign Hofer and make Ellis the backup when Binnington's deal expires. At that point, Hofer will have had enough NHL experience to be the Blues starter for the future, and Ellis should be at the point where he's ready to contribute in a meaningful way.
Colton Ellis has shown Blues fans that he is deserving of being paid attention too. Almost a half-season of putting up a save percentage over .920 is something that should raise some eyebrows. Keep an eye out for Ellis for years to come.