Hofer quietly building legitimate Vezina resume

Joel Hofer is not the goaltender dominating the national conversation, but through nine games, he has been one of the most effective in the game. While the spotlight tends to follow undefeated records, highlight-reel saves, and big-market teams with big-ticket names, Hofer has been steadily making his own case for the St. Louis Blues.

Standing tall and delivering

Hofer is 5-3-1 with a 2.24 goals against average and a .923 save percentage, turning aside 240 shots. While the record is good, its his early season workload that is truly setting him apart. Hofer is facing nearly 29 shots on goal each game, a respectable number for a goalie behind a Blues defense that is still trying to keep most of the dangerous shots away.

Goaltenders like Pyotr Kochetkov (CAR) and Linus Ullmark (OTT) have posted strong numbers this season as well, but are also playing in systems that have arguably helped suppress shots better than the Blues' have up to this point. When the defensive system in front breaks down, Hofer has been the one to pick up the pieces. Hofer has posted a positive goals saved above expected, measuring how many goals a goalie would have allowed on the same chances.

Stealing games and carrying the workload

Beyond just overall percentages, Hofer has repeatedly stolen games this season helping to push the Blues through their offensive lulls. On Oct. 2 against Dallas, he recorded a 25-save shutout, stopping all seven high-danger shots he faced, in a game where the Stars generated roughly 3.14 expected goals. Against Winnipeg on Oct. 19, he stopped 32 of 33 shots in a 2-1 win. The Jets generated 2.49 expected goals and Hofer finished 1.49 goals better than expected, stopping six of seven high-danger chances. Three days later, he turned aside nine of 11 high-danger shots against Vegas, making 26 saves.

It is these kinds of performances that keep a team in games on nights when the offense is slow to get started or does not show up at all. A goaltender who steals points under pressure has an easier case to make for top goaltender in the league than one whose numbers could be a product of a stingy defensive system.

An early Vezina case building

It is still early, and nine games are a small sample. Trophies are won through a marathon of bumps and bruises, and Hofer and the Blues have only just begun. That being said, Hofer has gone from backup to splitting starts to the team's official starting goaltender. If he keeps stopping the best chances against him at this rate, the national conversation will have no choice but to include him.

Hofer is 26 and carries a $3.4 million cap hit and will be a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 season, at the same time, Jordan Binnington's contract comes up as well. Every strong start Hofer makes continues to not only build his case for a top goaltender in the NHL, but a future legacy he can build for himself with the Blues.