St. Louis Blues fans might feel we've already moved past this problem as we enter training camp with questions about who will be the team's starting goaltender. Despite some clamoring to give the kid a chance during the 2024-25 season when he outplayed Jordan Binnington, Joel Hofer still played only 31 games compared to Binnington's 56. Jim Montgomery righted that ship in 2025-26, as Hofer played 46 games compared to Binnington's 41.
It wasn't even close for Binnington last season, as Hofer played more games and posted a 2.61 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. The elder goaltender actually brought the team down and was one of the main reasons they didn't make the playoffs, as his 41 games featured a 3.33 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage.
The argument when Binnington made the Canadian Olympic team was that the players in front of him in Italy were much better than the players in front of him in St. Louis, which was ironic coming from Doug Armstrong. Still, Hofer played in front of those same players and performed pretty well. By the end of the year, it wasn't a help problem so much as a skill problem.
This is Jordan Binnington's last chance in St. Louis
The Blues will give Binnington one more chance to earn his share of starts out of training camp, but in reality, the toothpaste might be squeezed too far out of the tube for him to ever regain full-time status as the starting goaltender. However, his battle in camp could be avoiding a scenario where he is the one getting 31 appearances in a season.
New General Manager Alex Steen would love to see the younger Hofer run with the starting role and give them someone they can rely on for years to come, but they also would hate to see a $6 million goaltender spend the majority of the season on the bench. The 2019 Stanley Cup hero has to give the Blues something this year to pay off the rest of his contract, and the hope is that a year when he becomes a UFA will be the extra motivation needed.
The future of the Blues' crease is undoubtedly Hofer's, and it'd be an even bigger concern if he gave the starting job back this season with both goaltenders playing on contract years. The battle in camp for Binnington to steal some starts will still be intriguing regardless, and Blues fans can only hope to get two reliable back-stoppers this season.
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