St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington came up huge for Canada in the 4-Nations Face-Off Final. He made 31 saves to solidify the Canadians’ victory, including some incredible game-saving ones in overtime before Connor McDavid scored the winner. His performance proves he still has some hockey left at 31, and he can be the same big-time goalie for the Blues if he gets the proper rest and amount of starts.
Binnington Can Be Trusted With Less Pressure On Him
While he is regaining his Stanley Cup-winning form, Binnington only has two seasons left on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. If the Blues make the playoffs in either of the two seasons, he should still be their go-to goaltender. However, with the trade deadline right around the corner, his 4 Nations performance may have increased his value enough for the Blues to consider a trade.
The 4-Nations Face-Off showed that Binnington still thrives in critical situations. He is calm under pressure, unlike backup Joel Hofer. Binnington won his first two games after the 4-Nations break, and the Blues have benefitted from his positive performance in the tournament. However, given the immense pressure he faced in the 4-Nations, he might be exhausted, and the Blues need to consider giving him more of a break.
St. Louis doesn’t have much of a choice but to trust him for the next two seasons, which means he will need more rest, not just this season but going forward. The team must put more faith in Hofer to take on more starts, and he can handle the added responsibility.
Binnington Deserves a Good Team
When the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019, Alex Pietrangelo, Vince Dunn, Jay Bouwmeester, and Parayko were on the roster. The team also had tremendous defensive depth with Robert Bortuzzo and Joel Edmundson, who could block shots and hit. While the Blues now have Torey Krug, Justin Faulk, and Cam Fowler, they aren’t the same.
On Team Canada, Binnington had two defensemen who rank in the top 10 in blocked shots this season, Parayko and Travis Sanheim, and an experienced shutdown defenseman in Drew Doughty (who replaced Pietrangelo). In 2018-19, he had four shot-blocking defensemen and posted a record of 24-5-1 with a .927 SV%, a 1.89 GAA, and five shutouts. With Parayko as the only shutdown defenseman on the team this season, Binnington has struggled, with a 17-19-4 record, a…
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