St. Louis Blues goalie Joel Hofer can become a restricted free agent on July 1, but general manager Doug Armstrong said the 24-year-old isn't going anywhere. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a43dab19-9940-4b9d-b383-6ce74ac53722.jpeg] St. Louis Blues goalie Joel Hofer can become a restricted free agent on July 1, but general manager Doug Armstrong said the 24-year-old isn't going anywhere. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Doug Armstrong held a media session on Monday to discuss matters leading into this weekend's 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, and one topic received a hard stamp on: Joel Hofer isn't going anywhere. The St. Louis Blues general manager, in his final season before Alexander Steen takes over and Armstrong heads to a singular role as president of hockey operations, emphatically let it be known that Hofer, a pending restricted free agent on July 1 with arbitration rights, will be a Blue now and into the future. That includes anyone feeling the need to cast an offer sheet to the 24-year-old goalie. "I guess this is my shot across the bell that you can go after him, you're not going to get him," Armstrong said. We recently wrote [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/could-blues-goalie-be-target-of-offer-sheet] that there will be teams in search of goaltending and that Hofer could be susceptible to an offer sheet despite the salary cap rising to $95.5 million. Capwages.com predicts that Hofer will get a bridge deal at two years at just north of $2.8 million [https://capwages.com/players/rfas] when he and Jordan Binnington will each see his contract run out. But that doesn't mean the Blues will and Hofer will go the bridge route. The sides are currently negotiating a new deal. "'Hof,' we're negotiating with, but we're not that concerned about that one," Armstrong said. "He'll get a qualifying offer. He'll take us to arbitration, we'll take him to arbitration. We're not concerned about offer sheets or anything like that. "I'm very comfortable we can match any offer if we choose to match it. It won't be we didn't match it because we couldn't afford it. It's we didn't match it because we thought the value we were getting back was better, and that value would have to start with a first round pick or else we'll just match it. I'm not saying we wouldn't match it with a first either." Also, Armstrong said they have spoken to potential unrestricted free agent center Radek Faksa, who could also hit the open market July 1. "We've had conversations, and we'll find out by the first."
