Robert Thomas has worn the Blues’ MVP label for the past few seasons, and he still has a real shot to claim it again when 2026-27 is in the books. But if St. Louis is looking for a different name to rise to the top, Joel Hofer is the one who stands out.
Hofer hasn’t officially been named the starter for next season, though that feels like a formality at this point. Jordan Binnington’s time in the crease is being pushed into a backup role, and that shift marks the beginning of a new stretch for the Blues. If Hofer is the guy moving forward, then the team’s fortunes are going to be tied directly to what he does night after night.
That case gets even stronger when you look at what he already did with a thin roster in front of him in 2025-26. He finished second in the NHL with six shutouts, trailing only Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, who had seven. With Brandon Carlo joining the group, Logan Mailloux entering his second year, and Philip Broberg emerging as the team’s top defender, Hofer could have the kind of support that helps him match or even build on that kind of season.
For Hofer, the task isn’t to step into Binnington’s shadow and become a clone of what came before. It’s to hold the job, be himself, and carve out a new identity.
Binnington’s story in St. Louis is already written around success, clutch moments, and a Stanley Cup.
Hofer has the chance to build something different.
Thomas still has a path to the award, and it starts with production. He’s about to be moved around this season, though not because of anything he’s done wrong.
Quite the opposite. His line with Jimmy Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway has a chance to be one of the best in the Central Division and across the NHL.
Thomas, who has never topped 100 points in his eight-year career, is in position to make a run at that milestone now. If he gets there and helps Snuggerud and Holloway chase major numbers of their own with his playmaking, he could easily end up as the Blues’ MVP. If not, the door is wide open for Hofer.
In Other News...
Cam Fowler Enters A Crucial Season With Plenty On The Line
Cam Fowler arrived in St. Louis two seasons ago after a long run in Anaheim, and for a while the fit looked clean enough. He brought experience, steadiness and some early production to the Blues blue line, the kind of veteran presence a team can use while trying to sort out its defensive mix. But his play dipped in the 2025-26 season, and now he enters the next one with a lot more scrutiny attached to his name than he had when he first joined the club.
The pressure is only heightened by the change upstairs, with Alexander Steen now in charge and a new contract already on the books for Fowler. The Blues also have younger defensemen pushing for larger roles, which makes Fowlers start to the season especially important as the team sorts out potential pairings and decides how much trust to place in a player whose standing has shifted from reliable addition to a more complicated call. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Still Face A Brutal Reality In The Central Division
The Blues spent the offseason trying to answer the issues that sank last years playoff push, most notably the shaky goaltending and the uneven night-to-night play that kept them from getting traction. There were roster moves aimed at tightening things up, and on paper the group looks better equipped to avoid the kind of slide that left them on the outside looking in.
Still, the Central Division is going to make every step feel harder. St. Louis is being viewed as more of a bubble team than a safe bet, which leaves little margin for error if the internal improvement does not come quickly enough. For the Blues, the path back to the postseason may come down as much to player development and how they stack up against the division as it does to anything they added this summer. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Hofer Is Giving The Blues A Reason To Believe Again
Joel Hofers rise gave the Blues something they have been searching for at the most important position on the ice: stability. In his first full run as the primary goaltender in 2025-26, he finished 24-13-5 with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage, numbers that backed up the eye test for a team that needed steady play in net night after night.
The case for Hofer goes beyond the basics, too. He posted six shutouts, graded well in the advanced metrics and ranked highly in Goals Saved Above Average, which suggests the Blues may not just have found a serviceable starter, but a goaltender whose ceiling is still climbing. Given the way he has developed through junior and AHL stops, there is a growing sense around the organization that this season might be the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]