The NHL Network believes that Jordan Binnington is a league top ten goaltender

The NHL Network’s annual summer time kill is wrapping up with their analysis of the top position players in the league. Today they released their list of goaltenders, and the Blues’ own Calder nominee and Stanley Cup champion Jordan Binnington fell in at number eight, above Pekka Rinne and John Gibson.

For the video challenged, here’s the whole list:

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers
3. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
4. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
5. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
6. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
7. Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
8. Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
9. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
10. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks

Binnington had a 24-5-1 run for the Blues down the stretch and despite a couple postseason hiccups (they happen) led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in team history. He finished the regular season with a 1.89 GAA (1st in the league) and a .927 save percentage (4th in the league).

He also has 33 games of NHL experience, which as you can imagine has set some folks off.

The key phrase in these lists is always “right now,” not “cumulatively” or “all time” or “of current goaltenders” or “now and in the future forevermore.” I get being upset that a great goaltender like Lundqvist isn’t getting some love, but he didn’t have a good season this year or last year, namely because the team in front of him wasn’t any good.

Jordan Binnington won sixteen games in the playoffs. He did what everyone else on that list could not. So yes, if you’re looking at current goaltenders, I’d say that he’s top ten.

Whether he stays there next season is up to him.