This 2025-26 season has shared that just about anything that can go wrong, will. This team is a shell of what it looked like on opening night, and every player has to step up when their name is called.
That includes the goaltending, which has been the most puzzling and underwhelming area of this Blues team. Last season, these two goalies were the best-kept secret in the Western Conference, but now, they are both amongst the worst in the entire National Hockey League.
Things have started to pick up since Thanksgiving for both "Starter" Jordan Binnington and "Backup" Joel Hofer. What should the goaltending split look like now?
Who’s the starter?
It is crazy to talk about who should be the starter after 36 games of action. But this team is now 13-15-8 for 34 points and is just three points back of the wildcard in the Western Conference. They have to establish a go-to guy now, and it has to be the one who can give them the best chance to win. This team is not backing down despite all of the misfortune and injuries, and that says alot about what direction they want to go in.
Hofer has been the steadier goaltender as of late and should overtake Binnington. There is a vast difference in goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts, with Hofer in the lead of all three of those categories. Binnington has always played better after some rest, and that was still evident in his performance against the Rangers. He sat out the last three games for Hofer to start, and Binnington had a solid game in the loss.
Time to go 50/50?
Before Hofer is named the starter, however, it might be worth diving into both Hofer and Binnington going 50/50 for a little while. One on and one off might help both of these goalies.
But, at the same time, it might hurt them in the long run. Hofer and Binnington are both gamers and very competitive. Letting them sit after a win might not be the best way to string together wins.