The St. Louis Blues enter the 2026 offseason with a clear, and yet, very complicated picture of what their goaltending will look like for the 2026-27 season.
Joel Hofer earned the starting job throughout the 2025-26 season, stealing the job away from long-time starting goaltender Jordan Binnington. That was not a front-office decision handed down from above; it was the result of performance, sustained over a full campaign, that left little room for organizational debate. The 24-year-old outplayed a proven veteran and claimed the crease on merit.
Binnington is entering the final year of his current contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He remains one of the more recognizable names in the league as a Stanley Cup champion, a heavily relied upon goaltender in postseason and international play, and a player who has represented the franchise identity for the better part of a decade.
However, identity and roster reality are different conversations, and the Blues are now squarely in the latter.
With Hofer entrenched at the top of the depth chart, the question facing incoming GM Alexander Steen is not whether Binnington can still play at an NHL starting goaltender level. It is whether Binnington wishes to remain in St. Louis as a backup goaltender throughout the final season of his contract.
Goaltending is one of the most difficult positions to address in-season and one of the most volatile commodities at the trade deadline and in free agency. This summer figures to be no different. Several franchises are heading into the offseason without a clear answer in net, and the pool of available options, particularly those with playoff experience and championship credentials, is thin.
Florida is one team worth watching. Sergei Bobrovsky’s seven-year deal expires this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent, and while Panthers general manager Bill Zito publicly stated at the trade deadline that the organization wants to re-sign him, extension talks remained unresolved as the season wound down. If those negotiations stall or Bobrovsky ultimately reaches the open market, Florida would find itself without a proven NHL goaltender signed for 2026-27. Binnington, who carries his own championship pedigree and familiarity with high-pressure environments, fits the profile of what a contending team in that situation would be looking for. The Panthers are one option, but they will not be the only one.
What would be a reasonable return? A first-round draft pick and a depth defenseman would simultaneously address two legitimate organizational needs. The Blues already hold three first-round selections in the 2026 draft and adding another to the pipeline while reinforcing their blue line on the back end of a trade would provide exactly the kind of asset accumulation a team in the Blues’ transitional position could be aiming for.
It will not be easy to command that price though. Binnington is a backup on his current team, and the market will know it. However, he is also one capable of returning to form and stealing valuable points in the standings for any team. In a summer where proven goaltenders are scarce and several franchises in genuine need, the Blues could have more leverage than many think.