The Blues are heading into the 2026-27 season with a problem that could show up immediately: the schedule is rough, and the goaltending plan probably has to be, too.
That matters because St. Louis may not have the luxury of easing Joel Hofer into anything.
Jordan Binnington had a rough season, and the Blues would have been much closer to a lottery pick had Hofer not taken over after the Winter Olympics and played like a brick wall. With the league now moving into an 84-game grind, that kind of stability in net is even more important - especially with a brutal opening stretch waiting right away.
The first two games are the kind of draw that can chew up a team before it ever settles in. The Blues open on the road with back-to-back games against the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, two of the best teams in the league.
Simply grabbing a point out of that weekend would be a major lift for St. Louis.
Things ease up a bit after that, though not by much. The Blues then head to Chicago to face a Connor Bedard-less Blackhawks team that shouldn’t be too much of a threat.
Their first home game brings the San Jose Sharks, a club loaded with young talent but still unproven outside of Macklin Celebrini. After that comes another home date against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that’s tough to pin down thanks to players like Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko and reigning Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski.
That Columbus matchup carries its own layer of uncertainty, too. Marchenko has said he’s unlikely to re-sign with the team, and Werenski had to do damage control after nixing a trade to the Stars.
In goal, the Blues are expected to lean on Hofer. After finishing last season so strongly, he should be the starter. But asking him to handle all five games to open the year, especially with a back-to-back right out of the gate, feels like too much.
The most likely split has Hofer and Binnington dividing those first two road games, with the bigger question being which one gets Dallas and which one gets Colorado. If the Blues stick to the usual pattern, the starter would take game one and the backup would get game two, which would put Hofer against the Avalanche and Binnington against the Stars.
After that, Hofer would be in line to start the next three games. The only wrinkle could be Binnington’s legacy.
If this is his last season in St. Louis, there’s a case for giving him the home opener as a nod to everything he’s done for the franchise.
So the cleanest read is this: Hofer gets three starts, Binnington gets two. It gives Hofer a manageable runway into his first season as a true NHL starter, while also leaving Binnington with the second half of the back-to-back and the home opener.
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The Blues summer forecast has already turned into a familiar kind of camp conversation: who takes the net, how the forward group settles and whether the blue line has enough stability to support another push. In a speculative look ahead to 2026-27, Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Logan Mailloux and Philip Broberg all figure prominently in the expected lineup mix, while Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington sit at the center of the biggest question on the roster.
Jordan Binningtons presence still gives St. Louis a proven starter, but the long-term picture is where the intrigue lives, especially with Hofer positioned for a larger role if the season breaks the right way. Head coach Jim Montgomery is also expected to sort through a few potential young additions, and the Blues ability to balance those decisions could end up shaping more than just training camp chatter. [Read more 🡒]