A nice big payday could be in store for one of St. Louis' goaltenders after the 2024-25 season
St. Louis has their No. 1 goaltender, Jordan Binnington, locked up under contract for the next three seasons. But they do have a potential rising star in their backup.
Joel Hofer, 23, just like Binnington is a homegrown talent. The Blues drafted Hofer in the fourth round, 107th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Interestingly enough, when drafted, he was only a backup goaltender for the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL.
St. Louis certainly has shown through history that their scouting staff has a keen eye for identifying NHL talent in between the pipes. And the 23-year-old netminder could add to that list.
Hofer signed a two-year contract worth $1.55 million ($775,000 cap hit) on Jan. 2, 2023. His contract is set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season. And a sweet little payday could be in store for the Manitoba native.
Joel played 30 games and started 27 this past season. He was one of the most reliable backup goaltenders in the entire NHL.
His .914 save percentage was fifth-best amongst backups with 20 to 30 games played. Also, he finished the season on a very strong note going 5-1-1 in his last seven starts, and received one fourth and fifth-place vote for the Calder Trophy.
Only Anthony Stolarz, with Florida, and Laurent Brossoit, with Winnipeg, were in the top tier of backups in 2023-24. But Hofer put himself in the next tier alongside Islanders’ Semyon Varlamov, Rangers’ Jonathan Quick, and Los Angeles’ David Rittich.
Furthermore, with NHL teams continuing to increase their load management on goalies — we see fewer goalies eclipse 60 games — and Hofer showing he is an NHL-caliber goaltender. This season could prove as an opportunity for the Blues to develop a tandem in net between Hofer and Binnington.
If Binnington struggles the way he did in the 2022-23 season, Hofer displayed in 2023-24 that he can handle the net for consecutive games.
A scenario in which Binnington starts 48 games and Hofer starts 34 seems like a plausible strategy. Although, the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup-winning starter appeared to be slowly returning to form last year.
Anthony Stolarz just got a new contract worth $5 million over two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now, his numbers were much better than Hofer’s, but you can imagine that with his potential of becoming a strong 1B in the crease, he could ask for around $2 million per year if he has another strong season.
Also, he does have arbitration rights as an RFA, and we’re sure the team and Joel do not want to deal with the stressful hearing down the road.
Blues GM Doug Armstrong appears to think highly of his young netminder considering he had him on Team Canada for the most recent IIHF Men's World Championships.
This season will tell us more about Joel Hofer and his potential in the NHL. However, the early indications are that he could become a trusty starter one day, and perhaps replace Binnington down the road.