The Blues need a goaltending upgrade, right now

The St. Louis Blues are, once again, off to a mediocre start to the NHL season, sitting at 3-4-1 and second to last in the Central Division and one point ahead of the woeful Chicago Blackhawks in the standings. Despite a few positive developments, there are far more glaring issues: from the underwhelming top line to power play struggles to a possible lack of answers from the coaching staff.

One problem stands above them all, though, and that is the abysmal play of Jordan Binnington.

Binnington's season so far

The hope over the summer was that Binnington would be able to put last year's atrocious play behind him--to come into this season fresh and ready to prove why he's still deserving of respect and why he was the starter for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics. Joel Hofer's clearly the starter for the Blues now, and Binnington could settle into a backup role as a veteran in his twilight years.

Things have not played out that way.

In three games played, Binnington's minus-5.0 Goals Saved Above expected (GSAx) is the fifth worst mark in the league, per Money Puck. He's sporting a horrific .831 save percentage (SV%), and the Blues' team goal differential is minus-6 in the games he's played (they're a minus-1 on the season). Aside from a win over a mediocre Nashville Predators team (where he finished with a lousy .870 SV%), Binnington's presence has been a negative for the roster. If this keeps up--and management makes no changes to the roster--he could sink the Blues' season all on his own.

Upgrades on the market

While there are a clear landing spot or two for Binnington, who is available to replace him isn't as clear. Sam Montembault has fallen out of favor with the Montreal Canadiens after Jakub Dobes's playoff run last season (don't look at his current stat line) and the rising Jacob Fowler, but Montembault could benefit from a change of scenery. He's also in the last year of his $3.15-million AAV contract, so the risk to the Blues is somewhat low if things don't pan out this season.

In Toronto, the tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz has struggled, but they've called up prospect Arthur Akhtyamov and have Elvis Merzlikins on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) who could be available later in the season. In that case, perhaps Stolarz--who's signed through 2030 at $3.75-million AAV--would be a good long-term tandem option alongside Hofer. Stolarz is a solid enough goalie, but he's injury prone, and at 32 years old there's risk the injuries could become more frequent have a more negative impact on his game.

Another more long term fix could be Adin Hill on the Vegas Golden Knights, who's started this season fairly strong with four wins. The catch is a $6.25-million AAV contract through 2031 for a goalie who's already 30 years old and was underwhelming for most of last season. Hill and Hofer could be a solid long-term tandem, but it is quite the committment to make.

Elsewhere around the league, maybe the Detroit Red Wings decided to throw in the towel on the season and trade one of John Gibson or Daniil Tarasov to give Trey Augustine a look at the NHL level. Maybe the Colorado Avalanche or Minnesota Wild decide to make a change in their platoons, the latter needing to make a decision on Jesper Wallstedt's future once Filip Gustavsson returns.

There could be plenty of options on the table in short order, but one thing is certain: Jordan Binnington cannot keep getting consistent starts if the Blues have any hope of reaching the postseason. General manager Alex Steen needs to act--and fast--or 2026-27 could start looking a lot like last year.