Few expected the St. Louis Blues to turn things around when they called up Jordan Binnington but little did they know. All Binnington and St. Louis did was charge into the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup in seven games. Also, Jordan Binnington and company pulled this off on the road.
Binnington played just 32 games for the Blues and then 26 more in the playoffs. While his playoff numbers were not outstanding, he was clutch when the games meant most. See each series clincher and how the goaltender kept his team in games then.
Now, the bigger question arises. What does the newly signed goaltender do now after signing a two-year deal at an AAV of $4.4 million? Better yet, how does he handle starting 50+ games potentially for St. Louis?
What Jordan Binnington means to the St. Louis Blues
Honestly, Binnington most nights just has to manage the game well and not make many mistakes. St. Louis was so good defensively at times which allowed the goalie just to make a few key saves. It was that simple. This upcoming season could be different as St. Louis will get every team’s best — see Washington last year.
Jordan Binnington brought stability and ability to bounce back that Jake Allen just could not the past couple seasons. Early last season, Allen could not get going and inconsistency was a calling card. Binnington time after time would bounce back after losses — especially in the playoffs.
Does Binnington have to look over his shoulder as far as Jake Allen? That answer is probably no, for now. Winning the Stanley Cup buys him a season one would think. The RFA received a nice salary boost in what amounts to be a bridge deal. Pundits sometimes forget the goalie is just 26-years old and has played just a total of 59 career NHL games.
Furthermore, can the goaltender play at the level he did during the regular season? The increased competition in the Central Division expects to challenge the Blues considerably. First, though, let’s quickly look at the salary breakdown.
Jordan Binnington’s salary cap breakdown
As the latest comes in from PuckPedia, here is a little more on Binnington’s new contract.
The #STLBlues sign 26 y/o G Binnington to 2 yr $4.4M Cap Hit Deal.
Contract takes him right to UFA eligibility.
0.927 SV% in 32 GP
Rep’d by Hooper @OctagonHockey https://t.co/ok7E1wbRVM
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 14, 2019
At first glance, there appear to be no NMC or NTC details.
A little Jordan Binnington numerology
Thanks to Corsica Stats, we get a better idea of what level Binnington has performed. While his 2018-19 numbers started incredibly well, it was how he responded during the playoffs.
Binnington enjoyed an even-strength save percentage of .941 in his 32 regular-season games. The St. Louis Blues goaltender won 24 times in that span. His expected even-strength save percentage was only .921. That is an eye-popping number.
Also, the netminder had a goals-saved above average of 13.52 with a goalie point share of 6. Extrapolate this over a 50-55 start season and those are easily starter-caliber numbers.
When a goalie has a high-danger save percentage in the mid-’80s, that is quite a feat. Binnington played the final 32 games at a level of Tim Thomas‘s 2010-111 campaign. That puts things into perspective. Is Binnington as good as Thomas? Obviously, that answer is no but it was some run nonetheless.
Now, this deal takes the goaltender to unrestricted free agency. The first year has a salary of $4.55 million while year two is just $4.25 million. Winning the Stanley Cup is one thing but now the real adventure begins.
Binnington probably could ask Cam Ward what the experience is like. Ward played 28 games and then won the Stanley Cup in his first season.
There are only two differences. Ward was just 21 and the rookie started far more uneven than Binnington.
A few final words on Jordan Binnington
The talent around the St. Louis goalie is still formidable. Alas, the question remains. Can Binnington do it again or come close to doing so? And now, we wait.