The 2026 Olympic Winter Games is three weeks away, and one story continues to be about the Canadian goaltending situation–specifically the struggles surrounding goaltender Jordan Binnington of Richmond Hill, Ontario. Binnington has been so inconsistent, it is now time to ask if Team Canada management chose the wrong Blues goaltender because statistically, Joel Hofer of Winnipeg, Manitoba, has actually been better.
Joel Hofer
Hofer blanked the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Tuesday. For Hofer it was his fourth NHL shutout this season, which is tied with New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin of Mezhdurechensk, Russia and Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt of Vastersas, Sweden for the most in the NHL. Note that Wallstedt is one of the three goaltenders chosen to represent Sweden at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Hofer now has six shutouts in his career. His first shutout this season came on November 6, in a 3-0 Blues win over the Buffalo Sabres. That was followed by a 1-0 Blues win over the Utah Mammoth on November 29, and a 1-0 Blues win over the Winnipeg Jets on December 17. The 1-0 shutout wins can usually be the most challenging for goaltenders. Any small mistake and your team no longer has the lead.
Also in 2025-26, Hofer has a record of 10 wins, nine regulation losses and two losses in extra time. He has a goals against average of 2.81 and a save percentage of .902. In the 22 games Hofer has started, he has given up two goals or less in nine of them.
Jordan Binnington
After Jordan Binnington’s excellent performance in the final of the Four Nations Tournament last February, the general feeling among Canadian hockey fans was he would be the goaltender for Team Canada unless he collapsed statistically. Well folks, Binnington has collapsed statistically, and quite frankly I am stunned he was chosen as one of the three goaltenders. In Colorado, the performances of Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood are a major reason why the Avalanche have the best record in the NHL. Canadian management, led by Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, chose Binnington over Wedgewood and Blackwood.
Binnington’s .871 save percentage is 36th in the NHL. His goals against average is 3.53, which is 35th in the league. Binnington has also given up five goals or more in seven starts this season. A week ago, he gave up seven goals in a 7-3 Blues loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
