Joel Hofer isn’t the goalie dominating the national headlines, but nine games into the season, he’s already putting together a case that belongs in the Vezina conversation.
The St. Louis Blues netminder has gone 5-3-1 with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage, stopping 240 shots along the way.
The numbers are strong on their own. What makes them stand out even more is the amount of work Hofer has had to shoulder, with nearly 29 shots on goal coming his way each night.
That workload matters, especially behind a Blues defense that is still trying to limit the dangerous looks. While goaltenders like Pyotr Kochetkov and Linus Ullmark have also posted impressive early numbers, they’ve done it in systems that have, at least so far, helped suppress shots better than St. Louis has.
When the Blues break down defensively, Hofer has been the one cleaning up the mess. He has posted a positive goals saved above expected, a sign that he’s not just stopping pucks, but outperforming what a goalie would normally be expected to allow on the same chances.
He’s also had nights where he flat-out took over.
On Oct. 2 against Dallas, Hofer delivered a 25-save shutout and turned aside 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, finishing 1.49 goals better than expected while denying six of seven high-danger chances. Three days later, he handled 26 saves against Vegas and turned aside nine of 11 high-danger shots.
Those are the kinds of performances that keep a team afloat when the offense goes quiet or takes too long to get going. A goalie who can steal points under pressure usually builds a stronger case for top honors than one whose numbers are helped by a cleaner system in front of him.
It’s still early, of course. Nine games isn’t a season, and trophies are earned over a long grind. But Hofer has already moved from backup to splitting starts to the Blues’ official starter, and if he keeps neutralizing elite chances at this rate, the conversation around him isn’t going away.
Hofer is 26, carries a $3.4 million cap hit, and will be a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 season, when Jordan Binnington’s contract also comes up. For now, though, every strong outing only strengthens Hofer’s case as one of the league’s best early-season goaltenders and deepens his footprint with the Blues.
In Other News...
Blues Goalie Pipeline Suddenly Looks Deeper Than Fans Realized
The Blues have settled their crease for now with Joel Hofer taking over as the starter and Jordan Binnington moving into the backup role, but the organizations long-term picture looks a little more interesting than it did a year ago. Two sixth-round picks, Love Harenstam and Will Cranley, are both making real progress as possible future depth options, giving St. Louis more reason to feel good about the pipeline behind its current tandem.
Harenstam is developing in Swedens HockeyAllsvenskan and has put together strong performance metrics there, while Cranley is getting early AHL work that has turned heads in a small sample. For a team that has spent plenty of time sorting out its goaltending future, having two late-round swings trending in the right direction is the kind of quiet organizational development that can matter down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Bring Theo Lindstein Back As Blue Line Pressure Builds
The Blues added another layer to their blue-line depth chart by recalling Theo Lindstein from Springfield ahead of a four-game road trip. Lindstein had been sent to the AHL after his initial stint with St. Louis, but hes been productive with the Thunderbirds and now gets another chance to stay in the mix as the schedule tightens up.
The timing of the move suggests the club is preparing for some uncertainty on defense, especially with Colton Parayko dealing with an upper-body injury. Parayko missed practice Friday and is still considered probable for the next game, leaving the Blues to balance caution, depth and travel as they head out on the road. [Read more 🡒]