The Blues should add a veteran third goalie to their roster in case of injuries
The St. Louis Blues goaltending is set in stone and doesn’t need changing. Alas, injuries happen, and the organization lacks an experienced third-string netminder.
Ever since the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Colorado Avalanche suffered injuries to their starter and backup goaltenders, NHL teams have started investing in having an experienced third goalie on the team in case of these events.
Even in these past playoffs, we saw the Vancouver Canucks have to go to their third-string, Arturs Silovs, after Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith went down with injuries.
With that in mind, the Blues are in danger and running the risk of praying that Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer will remain healthy all season long.
St. Louis has three other goalies in their system. Vadim Zherenko, Colten Ellis, and Will Cranley. All three have never played an NHL game and have yet to start more than 30 games in a single AHL season.
If Binnington and Hofer both went down with injuries and the team made no moves to improve its depth in the crease, it would be catastrophic.
Thankfully, we’re in the early parts of July, and Doug Armstrong has plenty of time to grab a third goalie to add to his roster. That’s where former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Martin Jones comes into play.
Jones, 34, played his 11th NHL season in the pressure-packed environment of the ‘Six.’ He has over 400 games under his belt and went to the Stanley Cup Final with the San Jose Sharks in 2016. He’s not the same 2016 Jones, but his veteran presence was on display with the Maple Leafs this past season.
Toronto found themselves in a dark spot midway through the season. Ilya Samsonov was one of the league’s worst goaltenders and their young up-and-comer Joseph Woll suffered a high ankle sprain. Thankfully, the Maple Leafs had Martin Jones to fall back on.
In a sense, Jones helped save Toronto’s season. He took advantage of having the net all to himself and was a stable, calming presence for his team. That’s exactly what the Blues need in case they suffer a similar fate in 2024-25.
Jones is still a UFA and wouldn’t cost much to sign. Of course, the fear is losing him to waivers right before the start of the season. However, that’s a gamble you have to take, assuming the team doesn’t want to hold three goalies on their roster for most of the season.
The goaltending position is the most important in hockey. And it’s better to be safe than sorry.