Jordan Binnington isn’t the only Blues player to blame for his losses

Unless you’re off social media (If so, props to you!), you’ve probably seen many headlines about St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington as of late — and they’re most likely negative headlines.

I, however, believe that Binnington isn’t the only Blues player to blame for their recent struggles on defense when he’s in the net. Yes, Binnington’s struggling, but hockey’s a team sport that helps players develop their character, self-esteem, and pride.

I’m almost certain some hockey fans are going to disagree with me because they’re blaming the goalie, which I feel is uninformed because that’s almost like some football fans who blame their teams' quarterbacks for losing efforts.

Like I always say, “No one wins forever, and no one loses forever.” I believe my quote intertwines with the Blues’ goalie tandem and recent wins and losses. I’m not saying Binnington isn’t to blame and backup goaltender Ville Husso is the goalie of the future.

Drafted 94th overall by the Blues in the 2014 NHL Draft, Husso didn’t make his NHL debut until the 2020-21 season. He posted a 9-6-0-1 record with a .893 save percentage in 15 games started in 17 games played in 2020-21. Right now, he has a 12-3-0-2 record with a .936 save percentage in 18 games started in 19 games played. He already surpassed his record last season and I’m happy for him, but him replacing Binnington “isn’t storybook just yet, but it’s a heck of a story,” as the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Benjamin Hochman recently wrote about in a column.

On March 11, 2021, Binnington signed a six-year, $36 million contract extension to remain with the Blues. He deserved it because achieved a lot of accolades as a rookie goalie, including his First Star of the Week nomination after going 3-0-0 to help the team win six consecutive games for a Western Conference wild-card spot, stopping 25 of 26 shots in his first NHL playoff game en route to being a Calder Trophy finalist, and becoming the team’s first rookie goaltender to record a shutout in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And, with his 2019 Stanley Cup win, he set an NHL record for most playoff wins by a rookie goaltender in a single postseason, having won all 16 games required for the Stanley Cup.

Until further notice, Binnington is the Blues’ starting goalie while Husso is the backup goalie and Charlie Lindgren as the third-string goalie. Binnington’s current record is 12-10-0-3 with a .900 save percentage in 25 games started in 25 games played. He has been struggling, but he has reportedly dealt with COVID-19, and the Coronavirus can take a toll on him and anyone else for that matter. He currently ranks No. 27 on the NHL Goalie Stats 2021-22 list.

But, at the end of the day, the Binnington-Husso saga is similar to the previous narrative between Binnington and then-goalie Jake Allen. Binnington is on and off, but he should be “just fine” sooner or later - like last night.