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Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Blues’ Goalie Joel Hofer Set to Take a Bigger Role After 2-Year Extension

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Anthony Testaguzza | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 9:35 AM ET

On June 28, the St. Louis Blues re-signed goaltender Joel Hofer to a two-year extension with an average annual value of $3.4 million. Hofer was previously an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent (RFA), meaning he had a say in the terms of his new deal. Luckily, the Blues signed him before July 1, so they didn’t have to worry about another team extending an offer sheet. Now, they must figure out where he fits in the 2025-26 lineup.

Hofer Needs to Be In a Tandem for 2025-26

Since the 2023-24 season, Hofer has been the Blues’ top backup goaltender option, and since then, he’s been given more trust to step up and help starter Jordan Binnington. After two seasons of full-time backup duties, the Blues need to give him a bigger role in 2025-26.

Hofer’s save percentage (SV%) was above .900 in those two seasons, earning a career high in wins (28). The only way for the Blues to get the most out of him is to use him in a tandem role with Binnington. Binnington has taken on much of the workload since he became the starter in 2019. However, he is a top candidate to be in net for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in February, which will make it an exhausting season for him in 2025-26. But Hofer is in a good position to take on more starts to give Binnington some rest.

Last season, Binnington was Canada’s starting goaltender for the entire 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. He played 17 games to close out the season after the tournament. Hofer started 11 games while the team went on a 12-game win streak. He has proven he can take on a bigger role when needed, and the Blues should use that to their advantage.

Hofer Will Be Counted On to Take On More Pressure

As the current starter for the Blues, Binnington has faced over 1,200 shots a season, which Hofer must prepare for if he becomes the Blues’ tandem starter. The most shots Hofer has faced as backup was 830 in the 2023-24 season. He must be ready to face more than 1,200 shots if he wants to work in tandem with Binnington.

The Blues would be smart to give him more starts this season to help him grow and prepare to become the Blues’ future full-time starter. At the end of July, Hofer will be 25 years old and entering his prime as a goaltender. We’ve seen homegrown goaltenders similar to Hofer on other teams like Joseph Woll (Toronto Maple Leafs), Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks), and Sam Ersson (Philadelphia Flyers), to name a few, who have quickly earned starting roles once they hit their mid-20s.

Hofer also has the pressure of trying to live up to the replacement option to Binnington within these two seasons on his extended contract. In addition, he has a promising goaltending prospect in Vadim Zherenko in the American Hockey League (AHL), starting for the Blues’ affiliate Springfield Thunderbirds, awaiting his NHL debut. If Zherenko turns up his performance in the AHL this season, that should be enough of a wake-up call for Hofer that he will be challenged for his spot on the Blues at some point.

Hofer’s Ready to Make the Shift

Hofer has the potential to be the Blues’ starter. With a new contract heading into this season, now is the time for him to show that he is their future in net. When his contract is up, Binnington will be 33 years old and an unrestricted free agent (UFA). Hofer will still be young and under team control. He will also be experienced enough to make the shift to the starting role if the Blues give him more responsibility starting this season.